Syringa (josikaea?)..White lilac tree in flower.

[bodhidharma]

This tree has been in training for 4 years and was collected 3 years before that. It took a while to find a style for it. It is unusual to see such a heavily carved deciduous tree but a lot of it was natural and i helped it along to enhance the look. the tree is large at 1 metre tall. I hope you enjoy.

[MattA]

What a beauty!!!!

I have a purple lilac collected a few years ago, I notice the leaves on yours look a bit smaller, is this normal for a white or a result of being technique (defoliating etc)?

Mine is just a boring straight trunk with an ugly graft bulge, would love to carve it out like yours. Does the deadwood need preserving with anything?

Matt

[Steve Warren]

Very impressive tree. I love the lower trunk and it looks great in flower. Nice work and thanks for showing.

Regards

Steve W

[bodhidharma]

, I notice the leaves on yours look a bit smaller,

Defoliation Matt. I wrote a letter to Walter Pall as he has some considerable experience with this species. His advice was, defoliate and leave the tree in full sun in early summer. This tree had a lot of Natural rot that i Lime sulphered and enhanced with some carving of my own.

Very impressive tree. I love the lower trunk and it looks great in flower. Nice work and thanks for showing.

Thanks for your kind words Steve. On this one Mom Nature has helped me greatly.

[MattA]

, I notice the leaves on yours look a bit smaller,

Defoliation Matt. I wrote a letter to Walter Pall as he has some considerable experience with this species. His advice was, defoliate and leave the tree in full sun in early summer. This tree had a lot of Natural rot that i Lime sulphered and enhanced with some carving of my own.

Cheers Bodhi, it will be a departure from its normal life but if Walter is saying full sun then thats the ticket...

[bodhidharma]

Cheers Bodhi, it will be a departure from its normal life but if Walter is saying full sun then thats the ticket...

I allowed for German sun being not as hot as Aussie sun. Once the leaves were out and hardened off i put the tree back into semi shade but it still got a lot of sun, probably 1/2 day full sun and 1/2 day dappled sun.

[bodhidharma]

I defoliated this tree and wired it as it was starting to get straggly. I had to do some fancy manipulation to get a branch into the right spot. The tree has a lack of anchor points and i have had to be inventive. If you are working on an aged Lilac, be careful, as the branches seem to be compliant and then ..SNAP..Although the branches seem supple, i wired them with 4mm wire and the buggers spring back, very frustrating. I have had to be resourceful with branch placement as the tree is very old and will not produce new branches readily. It is content to do with what it has. Anyway, it is coming along and i will now lime sulphur all the deadwood and get stinky.

[Booga]

That looks nice in flower Bodhi and I love the natural look of the trunk

[Watto]

I must have missed this post when it was originally done, so a belated thankyou. I too am trying to grow a Lilac from dug stock and hope to get it to a stage where it is like yours - old, beautiful and flowering. I have read Walters writing on Lilac and am following his advice (sort of as I make small alterations for my conditions) and hope to have one of mine in flower next year.
Please continue to post the progression as it is most helpful for us, and also inspirational.

[MattA]

Good to see this tree coming along, just the nudge I needed to get stuck into mine, I only had it off its stand the other day weeding.