I bought this James MacFarlane lilac almost a month ago. It had all kinds of buds on it, but then only a few of them ended up blooming; the poor tree is so wilty all the time. I've been trying to water it in the morning and in the evening, but it has been unseasonably warm in the past week or so. Does it just need more water? Or is it sick? All theories are welcome!
Some of the leaves near the bottom of the tree look like this one. Another symptom?
It's probably just transplant shock. I wouldn't worry at all about not blooming, many plants will decide to focus on getting their roots going and forget about their flowers when you first plant them. And the wilting is normal for recently transplanted things, especially if your weather is at all warm and/or sunny. If your weather is really warm and it's constantly wilting, you might consider rigging up some shade for it to protect it from the sun beating down on it until it gets its roots established a little better. And for watering, make sure you keep it well watered but not overwatered, the best thing to do is check it regularly by sticking your finger a couple inches down into the soil and see how it feels. If it feels wet, then don't water it even if it's wilting, but if it's drying out then give it a good drink. (when plants are newly planted, often their roots can't take up water fast enough to keep them from wilting especially on warm sunny days, so things can wilt even when the soil is still plenty wet, that's why it's important to check that it actually needs water before watering it)
Sounds like your giving it alot of water. Is the soil really dry when u water? Usually yellowing/ dying leaves are a result of over watering.
I have a couple different lilacs. If you transplanted it a month ago it should be over the transplant shock by now.
Is it in a full sun area? Mine thrive in full sun -
bre
I think it may have been a case of too much love for the little plant. I checked yesterday afternoon and the soil was still wet after not being watered since Sunday afternoon. Thanks for the advice - I will now be diligent about checking the soil before I give it any more water!
Looks like your lilac is pretty close to the house. Some types of lilacs stay small, but others can get to 20 feet tall. Am not familiar with this variety. Do you want a large shrub or small tree so close to your house? You may wind up having to try to move it or cut it down in the future. Is this a SW corner? Maybe too much reflected heat from the house wall?
James MacFarlane is only supposed to get about 6 feet tall, so hopefully it will be fine space-wise there. However, you have a definite point with it being a SW corner of the house. I'll have to think about that one. Thanks!
