Meyer's lilac (Syringa meyeri Schneid.) – a species of the genus Syringa in the olive family (Oleaceae). It was first discovered by Meyer in China, near Beijing in 1912. In cultivation since 1917.
It is a deciduous shrub 0.8-1.5 (1.8) m in height, crown up to 1.5 m in diameter, compact, rounded, dense. Branches thin, with dark gray-brown, fissured bark. Shoots thin, four-angled, glandular-pubescent when young, brown with elongated light-gray lenticels.
Leaves 2-5 cm long, elliptic or broadly elliptic in shape, less often ovate. Base cuneate, with an abruptly pointed or blunt apex, dark green and glabrous above, lighter beneath, pubescent along the veins. Distinguished by the characteristic venation of the leaf blade: veins in two pairs, starting from the base and almost to the apex, located parallel to the leaf margin. Petioles thin, brownish-purple.
Flowers in panicles, 8-10 cm long, erect, cylindrical, very dense and compact, pubescent, formed from several upper pairs of lateral buds on last year’s shoots. Flowers purple-lilac or light burgundy, often with a light rim on the underside of the corolla, with a subtle pleasant fragrance, nearly sessile. Corolla 1.1-1.5 cm long and about 0.6 cm in diameter, with a cylindrical, very narrow tube and a flat limb. Blooms in late May - early June, abundantly, simultaneously with late cultivars of common lilac. In warm temperate zones it sometimes blooms again in autumn. Flowers very early; young shrubs 25-30 cm high often bloom quite abundantly.
Fruits – leathery, oblong or spindle-shaped, two-celled capsules, splitting with two valves, with 1-2 seeds in each cell. Fruits in September-October.
Cultivars: "Palibin"
Hardiness zone: 4 (-30°C).
Location: undemanding, stable in cultivation. Prefers sites sheltered from strong winds with good light, but can also grow in shade (will not flower). Does not like low, waterlogged or temporarily flooded (in spring or autumn) sites. Prefers moderately moist, fertile, structured, humus-rich soil with an impermeable soil horizon. Likes loam, chernozem soils, with organic or mineral fertilizers. Recommended pH 6-7; on acidic soils liming is necessary. Flower color depends on soil characteristics and acidity.
Planting: recommended from late August to early September. Shrubs transplanted with swelling buds take very poorly and practically show no growth in the first year after planting. Can also be planted in mid-July. After planting the root collar should be 3-4 cm above the soil. When planting in leaf mold, add 15-20 kg of humus or compost and 200-300 g of wood ash.
Care: apply mineral fertilizers or an ash solution twice per season – on the snow and after flowering. Once a year also apply under each shrub one bucket of cow or poultry manure, which should be covered with soil in a ring trench 20-30 cm deep at a distance of 50-60 cm from the trunk. The root circle is loosened 3-4 times per year and in winter is covered with peat or leaves to a depth of up to 10 cm. Standard trees are recommended to be wrapped with burlap for the first 2-4 years after planting.
Pruning: to form a shrub leave the first pair of buds at a height of 12-15 cm; for forming a standard on the trunk remove buds on the stem at a height of 50-80 cm, leaving only the top 5-6 pairs; above the last pair cut off the shoot tip and in the top pair leave only one bud. In the 3rd-4th year after planting perform formative pruning, leaving 5-10 main skeletal, most regular and attractive branches and shorten the main shoot. Formed shrubs are thinned in February-March. After flowering remove spent inflorescences. For bouquets it is recommended to cut up to 2/3 of the flowering shoots, which improves flowering.
Propagation: propagated by seeds, layers, cuttings, grafting. Seeds are used to propagate wild species. They are sown immediately after ripening in autumn or in spring after 2 months of stratification at 2-5 °C. Common lilac is used as the rootstock.
Diseases: gray mold, powdery mildew, rust, wilt.
Pests: nematodes, spider mite, beet aphid, scale insects, bugs, snails and slugs, rodents (field vole, brown rat).
Uses: for rock gardens, flower beds, hedges.
