Lilacs in Your Desert Garden

Posted by Robert Dailey May 1, 2006

WHEN lilacs last in the door-yard bloom'd,

and the great star early droop'd in the western sky in the night,

I mourn'd-and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.

-Walt Whitman

There is nothing as beautiful and pleasing as lilacs blooming in your spring and early summer garden. Since lilacs do well in slightly alkaline soil (they prefer a pH of 7.5), they're a great choice for a desert garden.

I purchased mine from the New Mexico Forestry Service for about $1.00 each. I picked them up in the spring and planted them immediately.

Late April and early May are good times to plant lilacs, although late September and into October are also acceptable times to plant them.

I planted about 10 lilacs in the "arid" zone of my garden (see Arid Zone in The Garden), two others in the transition zone (see Transition Desert Garden) and one in the oasis zone (see

Designing Desert Gardens).

Although the ones in the arid zone are doing well, they do not tend to grow as quickly as the ones in the transition and oasis zones. However, all are developing significant root systems and will be around for a long time, I believe.

Here are some requirements for planting lilacs:

• They prefer a slightly alkaline soil, although I've found them to be highly adaptive in many soil types.
• They do need about five to six hours of sun a day.
• They do not like to "keep their feet wet," which means they don't like standing water. Plant in well-drained areas.
• I would add about three to four inches of mulch around the base of the tree. Bark or wood mulch seems to do best.
• When they finish blooming, prune the spent flowers back to the point just above the formation of new buds.
• You should also prune some of the older stems back to the ground.
• Also trim dead or damaged branches.

Lilacs do need a definite winter chilling period. Therefore, they tend to do better in more northern areas, and higher elevations. If there isn't a defined winter chill, then you would probably do better with hybrids developed to solve that problem.

Instead of perceiving them as "trees," I look at them as more like large shrubs, and plant them accordingly. They may reach a height of 10-12 feet, although I don't expect those in my arid zone to reach above six feet.

As with any plant, water them well while they are establishing their root systems (the first two years). After establishment, I water mine about once a week in late spring and summer, and then once every two weeks thereafter.

I rarely use any other fertilizer than Yum-Yum mix, which is a balanced, organic fertilizer. Apply it after blooming.