Syringa x prestoniae 'James Macfarlane' - Preston Lilac 'James Macfarlane'

Extend the magic of spring with Preston Lilac 'James Macfarlane' (Syringa x prestoniae 'James Macfarlane'), an exceptional variety that beautifully concludes the lilac season! Recognized for its large panicles of delicately fragrant hot pink flowers, this robust and elegant shrub is a must-have for creating intimate screens or spectacular focal points. It offers a late bloom that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, filling your garden with an intoxicating fragrance.

Characteristics

• Foliage: Forest green deciduous foliage, with pointy, elliptical leaves that turn buttery yellow in fall. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to set it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.
• Flowering: Features showy, large pyramidal panicles of lightly-scented hot pink flowers rising above the foliage in late spring to early summer, blooming about two weeks later than many other lilac varieties. These flowers are excellent for cutting.
• Light Requirements: Should only be grown in full sunlight (6+ hours per day) for optimal flowering and healthy growth.
• Habit: A multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth, forming a large ball or rounded shape. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 90 cm (3 feet) from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines.
• Growth: Grows at a medium rate. It will grow to be about 2.4 to 3 meters (8 to 10 feet) tall at maturity, with a similar spread of 1.8 to 2.4 meters (6 to 8 feet). Under ideal conditions, it can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.
• Humidity: Adaptable to both dry and moist locations, with low soil moisture needs. It should do just fine under average home landscape conditions.
• Soil: Requires well-drained soil.
• Temperature: Extremely hardy. Tolerates winter cold very well.
• Watering: Very adaptable and drought tolerant once established. Low watering requirements.
• Resistances: Non-suckering. Highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner-city environments.

Usage

• Types of Use: Recommended for accent planting, mass planting, informal flowering hedges or privacy screens, and general garden use. It is a superb specimen plant. Its cut flowers will bring a pleasant fragrance indoors.
• Decorative Benefits: Its late bloom extends the lilac season. Its large clusters of fragrant hot pink flowers create a spectacular focal point. Its rich green foliage also makes a gorgeous backdrop for perennials, turning buttery yellow in fall. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Maintenance

• Fertilization: A spring compost application or a balanced fertilizer can promote healthy growth and generous flowering but is not always necessary in good soil conditions.
• Pruning: Should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. To promote plant health, provide air circulation, maintain a desirable shape, and remove dead or damaged branches, remove about one-third of the oldest branches by cutting at the base of the shrub, ideally in late winter to early spring.
• Plantation:
  • Spacing: Approximately 1.8 to 2.4 meters (6 to 8 feet) apart to allow for its upright spreading habit to develop.
  • Depth: Plant at the same depth as it was in its container.
  • Period: Spring is the ideal time for planting.