Lilacs and irises

Excuse the quality of the photo, which I took with my cell phone. I took Mom some lilacs and irises from my yard the other day. As you can see, she really enjoyed them. Good to see her smiling.

It doesn't get much better than that!! Lilacs were my mom's favorite..thanks for the memory today!

Wonderful photo! Your mom is such a beautiful lady... warmed my heart to see her surrounded by flowers and smiling!

For a long time she wasn't able to smile, some effect from the stroke I guess. When she tried to smile, it came out as a grimace. So it's really nice to see her smiling now. She was so happy to have those lilacs and irises. I took her some more irises last night. That's her favorite flower so she was really happy about those.

Diane, Good to hear from you. Good to see your Mom smiling and holding your flowers. Hope your both doing as well as she looks. Ric

Beautiful. I'm sure she enjoyed them.

Thanks, y'all. Ric, she's doing okay. She's much stronger than she was a couple of months ago. She's also doing better as far as memory goes but has her good days and bad days. I swear her vision is better but the neurologist says she's just compensating better. (The stroke left her unable to see anything on the left side in either eye.) I think he's wrong, I think she's actually seeing better.

Diane, What a lovely picture of your Mom. You really made her day with the bouquet.

I have been trimming down my lilac bush, the blooms were so high up that you could not enjoy them, every year after it blooms I cut out about 2 to 3 of the tallest ones, then trim bach some of the new growth to make it bush out more being careful not to cut away to many of what may be next years blooms. This year I have just a few blooms, but getting the bush down to size.
Miss Kim will bloom later, I am really looking forward to this years blooms.

I pruned back my dark purple one pretty seriously last spring after it bloomed. I only got a handful of blooms this year but expect it will be back in business next year. It was getting too tall for the spot where it's planted.

The old regular light purple one here is huge. I can't prune it except around the outer edges - I don't have a ladder that tall.

Mine is the light purple one too. It was about 1 1/2 stories high. I'm getting it down to size but still have to grab a branch and pull it down to pick.

I hadn't thought about it like that but mine is probably half again taller than our one-story garage so it's about the same. It's not next to anything, just in the field next to the driveway. I've done the branch pulling thing too but it's so old, a lot of the branches are too thick to bend. Doesn't hurt anything for it to just keep getting bigger, though, so I haven't worried about pruning too much.

Hart that is a lovely pic of your Mom.
Sounds like we are all in the same boat. I cut some of my Mom's lilacs back last year there was a lot of dead wood and I planted a couple of new plants right in close to it. I'm going to take more out this year and then the rest next year. Kind of a three year plan to reduce it and the new dark purple I added last year should grow in and start blooming next year. I have one that is just as big. Ladyg your right they are both about a story and a half high. I have the old fashion light purple and some white ones, several of the french doubles and last year I got a couple of nice starters that are the dark purple. My lilacs are just about over.

Holly, mine are just coming into full bloom.
Here is a link I found on pruning. http://gardening.about.com/od/pruning/a/Pruning_Lilacs.htm

Oh my! one time I did not preview the post. Edited to add link.

This message was edited May 3, 2010 7:48 AM

Chris, I think there's an oops in there somewhere! LOL I'm going to prune about 1/3 of the old wood from a couple of our lilacs and about 1/2 from some of my FIL's. Ours are just over grown but his are so old and spindley they hardly produce any flowers. If I destroyed his it wouldn't be much of a loss. If I prune and feed them I should stimulate some new growth. Ric

Holly, where did you get your dark purple? I know there are some old lilacs that have that deep, dark, royal purple because I see them in some yards around here. I bought my dark purple several years ago, it's Charles Jolie. It starts out nice and dark but quickly fades to a reddish purple, not the color of the older ones I've seen.

Hart I got them from Ric's Uncles yard. You are right they are old. I will try to get up there and get a few starters before the swap. Not promising but I will try.

That would be fantastic. Would you like some cuttings from the Charles Jolie? It doesn't sucker so I can only offer cuttings, but I know you're good at rooting cuttings. I have two kinds of mock orange too if you want some of those. The old timey kind that's so fragrant and one that has humongous flowers that's also very fragrant.

Oh I would love some mock orange. I was just telling a friend that I wanted one. Thanks.
Ric's uncle lives up in Chambersburg and I'm not sure what for suckers he will have but it will give us a good excuse to go and visit him.

I'll keep an eye on my "Aunt Erna's" lilac for suckers also... it's one of the deepest, richest purples I've seen. I potted up a couple a while back.. Becky got one, and my brother has dibs on the other. I might have an extra plant or two of one that opens pinkish and turns white... will try to post them on Becky's "Got Plants?" thread. :-)

Want some double white lilacs too? I know I have babies from that one, not just cuttings.

I'll be sure to post this stuff with the swap plants too. I won't have a lot of cuttings of the Charles Jolie because I cut it back so much last year but I'm sure I have enough for a couple of you. I have lots of mock orange cuttings from both plants.

I have one from you, in a pot, getting sturdy enough that I'll probably plant it in the border this year. I sure as heck hope I remember which one is your double... labels are fading a bit LOL. I was hoping the little lilac shrub-ettes would bloom this spring so I'd know which was which... no such luck!

Too bad I'm not attending that swap. I love Mock Orange and the darker purple lilacs.

Jen I could bring you plants from the first swap as we are attending both. I will get extra dark purple suckers if I can.
Hart I'm good on lilacs for now jut the mock orange would be great.

Jen, make sure I remember to give Holly some mock orange to take to you.

Woo Hoo!!!! THANKS!!!

Diane, what a GREAT picture - and a beautiful bouquet of iris and lilacs - I'm smiling too. ;-) I know it does your heart good to see her smiling, and looking so well after such a rocky road.

Hart, This is a wonderful photo. Your mom looks so happy. Not sure who's prettier, her or the bouquet. They seem made for one another.

Awwww, thanks, y'all. Stormy, you know how much I love my flowers but I have to say Mom smiling is a much prettier picture to me right now.

You know the one thing I got her that she loves more than anything? I got her a birdfeeder that has suction cups to attach to her window so she can sit in her chair and watch the birds. She has all kinds of birds coming to that little feeder now and really enjoys watching them. If any of you have a friend or loved one in a nursing home, you can get those feeders at Walmart for under $4.

Hart that is a wonderful idea. Ric's aunt had Alzheimer and the nursing home that she stayed in had a garden with paths, benches and bird feeders. The garden was an enclosed courtyard so the patients could go in and wonder around without the chance they could get lost.

They have the same thing where Mom is. It's nice because they can go out any time they want and it's a nice large area with lots of pretty plants and shrubs. Mom often doesn't remember how to get there but I take her out when it's nice or the aides show her where it is. They have a table and chairs where you can just sit or sit and have dinner too.

But she enjoys having the feeder where she can enjoy the birds when she's just sitting in her room.

My big lilac didn't bloom at all this year. My neighbor's new fence cut off all of the morning sun and her giant Maple Limbs have grown 30' into my yard blocking the afternoon sun. They are really high up there, but I'm going to try to cut them on a ladder with the pole chain saw.

Be careful Stormy! If they're that high, maybe you should call a tree company. They can do it safely from a bucket truck.

Ditto that... if you have to climb a ladder to reach, then it's to high to DIY with a chain saw. It'll be worth hiring somebody to limb up the tree and get some light back into your yard!

Stormy, I agree. It's not worth you getting hurt. We have too many MAtics laid up.

Seconding, thirding and fourthing what everyone else said, Stormy - don't try this yourself!!! Well worth the expense to have it done without injury - be safe!

Actually, It was going to be a joint venture with me & DSO. This week It really clicked how much that fence has affected the blooms on all of my shrubs along that fence. My 40 year old Bridal Wreath Spireas, which are normally a mass of white, are mostly green with some sparce blooms. The Quince bloomed very sparcely, as did the Viburnum. I really didn't think they got much morning sun, but aparently it was enough to make a difference, now that they don't get any. Many of my oriental lilies over there are laying down completely and have to be staked.

So, I'm hoping that the fact that your sentence is in the past tense, means that you're reconsidering? ;-) Seriously, we just don't want you getting hurt - and chain saws and height are not a trivial thing. Hugs!!!

Stormy, you may have to consider moving some of those. The big shrubs might not be possible but you could start babies from them and I know the lilies can be moved.

I do have some nice, shade tolerating plants I could give you that would just about guaranteed spread under the fence into the neighbor's yard. All you'd have to do to keep them from going wild on your side is put down a plastic or metal bed border about 3-4 inches into the soil to block the roots. Hey, I like this! snicker

And, yes, I hope you and DSO have reconsidered suicide by ladder and chain saw. Tree guys who do trimming for a living wouldn't even consider trying that.

Stormy if you are using a pole chain saw it will not be up close and personal and should be doable. I think everyone envisions you standing on the top of a ladder, wielding a Sthil Wood Boss. LOL Ric
Just be sure you or Larry notch the bottom of the limb before you start cutting so you get a clean break.

No I don't, Ric. I know what a pole chainsaw is. Actually, I think it would be safer (but not by much) if the limb could be reached with a regular chainsaw while on a ladder.

One of the dangers of working with a limb that high is trying to judge whether it's going to land on you and the ladder and the chainsaw or not.