What are the unique characteristics of red Indian Lilac?
Botanical identification and description
Red Indian Lilac belongs to the Lythraceae family and designates an ornamental shrub recognizable by its fragrant flowers with a sweet scent that attracts pollinators (bees, butterflies).
THE Lagerstroemiacommonly called Indian Lilac is native to India, China and Japan. It originated in tropical and subtropical Asian regions where it developed into several varieties recognizable by their colors. There are white, purple, pink and red ones. The flowers are most often in clusters, but they are also found in the form of bells.
This shrub generally reaches a height between 2 and 5 meters. It can be planted in the ground or in a pot. Its flowering takes place between the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The Indian Lilac likes direct sun but does not like the wind. You will therefore have to be vigilant when planting it.
The foliage of Indian Lilac is composed of dark green evergreen leaves. The advantage of this shrub is that it maintains a very beautiful appearance, even in winter.
Popular varieties of Indian Lilac
Indian Lilac comes in several varieties which can be distinguished by their colors but also by their own characteristics. Let’s present the most popular varieties…
Variety 1: pale pink Indian lilac
With its cluster-shaped flowers pink color, this Indian Lilac gives a certain softness to the garden and can be combined with other flowers in mauve or violet colors to create a gradient. You can use this variety of shrub to create borders in your garden or for flower beds.
Variety 2: purple Indian lilac
With its characteristic scent, this variety of Indian Lilac will perfume your garden. It can be combined with another plant with yellow flowers. The flowers of variety 2 have a bell shape unlike variety 1 (in cluster) and they are larger. This variety of lilac purple is ideal for a touch of color in a garden that lacks it and is a little bland.
Variety 3: white Indian lilac
With its dark green foliage and flowers in voluminous clusters and a bright white, variety 3 offers a touch of romance to your garden and a certain elegance. We can, of course, associate it with shrubs with flowers of different colors.
When and how to plant red Indian lilac?
Site selection and ideal soil conditions
If you want to grow a red Indian Lilac in your garden, you will need to plant it preferably in a location sunny with an average of 6 hours of daily sunshine at this location. However, always ensure planting sheltered from the wind.
The soil must be fertile and particularly well drained for red Indian Lilac. Indeed, good drainage will avoid stagnation of water at the roots and problems, in the long run, linked to their rotting.
The quality of the soil will be rather acidic, with a pH between 6 and 7 for optimal growth.
When to plant?
The choice of the planting period for red Indian lilac will essentially depend on the locality. If you live in a cold region, we recommend waiting for the spring to carry out the planting. In other regions, planting can be done in the second half of autumn.
For extremely cold regions, it is quite wise to opt for planting in a pot in order to better protect your Indian Lilac during the winter.
Planting Steps for Optimal Growth
The planting of red Indian lilac will be done in autumn, and more precisely between September and November. It can also be planted in spring when it is certain that there is no longer any risk of morning frosts.
For optimal growth, the following planting steps must be followed:
- Dig the earth deep enough;
- Remove all weeds and other stones during the operation;
- Make a hole with a size equivalent to 3 times that of the clod of earth;
- To improve drainage around future roots, consider adding gravel before adding soil with potting soil and compost;
- Be careful to respect the distances if you have to plant several lilac shrubs (leave approximately 3 m between each planting);
- Once the rootball is sufficiently hydrated, place it in the hole up to ground level, tamp it down and water.
You can also put your Red Indian lilac in pot. In this case, we advise you to take a sufficiently large pot (minimum 50 cm) with a pierced bottom.
Place clay balls, then a drainage cloth on top before placing your soil and potting mix (specially for flowering shrubs) on top. The last operation consists of placing the root ball of red Indian Lilac while ensuring that its upper surface coincides with the top of your pot. Gently pack and water everything.
What care should be given to Indian Lilac for abundant flowering?
For a healthy red Indian Lilac, offering abundant flowering, you will need to take sufficient care of it, particularly by careful watering, pruning and choice of fertilizer.
Recommended watering, fertilizing and pruning
In summer, the mulching can keep the soil moist and prevent the shrub from becoming too thirsty. However, during water restrictions, it will certainly be necessary to find a plan B for watering all your plants in the garden, such as a rainwater collector for example.
For your red Indian Lilac, you will need to take particular care to provide it with moist soil, especially during the hottest summer periods. If the ground must be moist, it must not be flooded. Watering is done at root level, carefully avoiding the foliage of your shrub in order to avoid any disease problems on its leaves.
For the fertilization of the earth, a granular fertilizer can be applied. We will choose a slow release fertilizer which will promote the flowering of the plant, while avoiding overdose which would be rather harmful, or even fatal to the plant. The best time for soil fertilization is in spring.
Pruning the red Indian Lilac is also essential to promote its good health and flowering. This operation is carried out in spring, carefully removing dead branches and sorting through the remaining branches. We eliminate all the branches which are not well oriented or which give the shrub a rather unaesthetic appearance.
Protection against diseases and pests
Pests are mainly aphids, caterpillars or powdery mildew. Even if the red Indian lilac is resistant, care must be taken to keep these pests away. You must therefore keep an eye on it and check that it is not infested. If you notice a disease on your shrub, you must carefully remove the affected parts and then treat the entire plant with a fungicide.
Insecticides are also indicated to keep pests away.
Regular maintenance of the shrub and a minimum of attention will allow you to keep it healthy and beautiful for as long as possible.
How and when to prune red Indian Lilac?
Pruning techniques to stimulate flowering
All gardeners will tell you that pruning technique is important for many shrubs and not only for a visually aesthetic aim, but also to keep them in good health.
Pruning technique can also make the difference in whether a shrub or plant blooms. We advise you to carry out one size each end of winter (March) and, ideally, during a mild spell.
Always start by pruning old branches (from the previous year) to boost flowering. Then remove inward-facing branches and crossing branches.
Management of old wood and annual maintenance
The size of the branches whose growth took place in year N-1 is also part of the maintenance of the shrub. Always make sure to leave a bud on the outside of the Indian Lilac.
Maintenance does not require a lot of work but it is essential to check, on the one hand, that your shrub has not been infested by pests or disease and, on the other hand, to help its flowering.
In particular, we will ensure:
- to its regular watering and in particular, after planting, throughout the following year;
- to plan mulch for the warmer months, particularly if the region is dry and watering restricted. This process keeps the soil moist, which helps to space out watering sessions;
- for flowering, you can add a slow release fertilizer (to be added in spring).
The red Indian lilac is a beautiful shrub with fragrant flowers which will be highlighted and can have a good longevity provided that certain principles are respected: knowing in what conditions and what exposure it should be planted, how to prune it, what is the best planting technique to ensure beautiful flowering is part of the essential knowledge to enjoy your Indian Lilac for a long time.