After the magnificent bloom of the Crabapple trees in Evanston it's Lilac Time, and we are even nearing the end of that season. Not well known is the lilac shrub grown on a standard to create a little tree. The top is a shrub, Syringa patula 'Miss Kim,' and the bottom is a lilac trunk. These last about 10-12 years (some apparently much longer) and then the tight branching right at the graft seems to get overcrowded and they can split or cause some branches to die. The fragrance is wonderful while they last The old Syringa vulgaris is still a favorite, here pictured nodding over a fence on Ashland. ('vulgaris' means common or ordinary in both Horticulture and Medicine.) Too soon the lilacs will be gone, but the roses will then be blooming.
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