Syringa vulgaris 'Mme Lemoine' |
Native Region: Europe
Zone Range: 4-9
Preferred Climate: Full to semi sun; well draining averge soil.
Harvest Date: Friday 13 November, 2009
Seed count: 12-15
Description:
A lovely columnar form of French lilac with intensely fragrant double white flowers. Flower clusters are very heavy and tend to weigh down the sturdy branches, making them easier to bury your nose in the soft petals and inhale the perfume. Grows to 4 meters in height and 2 meters in width. Doesn't tend to sucker like most other lilacs. Ideal as a cut flower and a single cluster can scent an entire room.
Notes:
Open pollinated seed from this hybrid are likey to give variable offspring. Deer don't seem to take notice of this plant. Essential for any cottage/country garden. Drought resistant when established. Can suffer from mildew if not enough air can move around the plant. Grows within the bee's flight path of 'Congo'. It would be interesting if a seedling was double like 'Mme Lemoine' and had the colours of 'Congo'. Introduced in 1890. Breeder thought worthy to name it after his lovely wife.
Cultivation:
Soak seed 24 hours. Sow 7 mm deep in moist sand, keep moist and cold stratify 30-60 days. Some mulch helps keep seed from working its way to the surface. Place seeding pot in a protected spot as seedlings do better in a shady site. Sow thinly as seedlings don't like being crowded. Success greatest for striking all Syringa cuttings is immediately after flowering. Trying to root cuttings at any other time will make you wonder what karmic unbalance you committed in your past life!
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