THE LILAC ZONE

I am happy to report that thankfully the bacterial blight that we had to contend with in 2019 was not a huge issue in 2020 and all of the lilacs in the collection managed to survive it. Unfortunately, that problem was exchanged with another common problem of lilacs - an infestation in the collection of "lilac borer". Lilac borers, also known as "ash borers" are clear-wing moths that lay eggs in the host bark. Within 2 weeks, the eggs will hatch and the larvae will bore into the main trunks of lilacs, feeding on the phloem of the plants and doing considerable damage to the shrub internally. Having lost 3 different mature lilacs to lilac borer in the past and seeing how many in the collection had the tell-tale signs of borer (that being very evident holes that can be seen in the main trunk), I had the collection treated for it by a local tree service. Fortunately it seemed to work, though once borers have successfully infiltrated a collection, it is difficult to get rid of them entirely. Moving forward, I will have to be diligent to prevent further borer infestations. 

2020 News