MelanieW
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Tinkerbelle Lilac confusion

Hi, I'm a new gardener. We want to put in some lilacs at work. The Tinkerbelle Lilacs are very pretty, but I see some pictures are of trees. Is Tinkerbelle a shrub or tree? Is it a matter of pruning?

Also, any urban hardy, full sun suggestions for a 12"-or-so bush or decorative plant that would go well with Tinkerbelles?

Thank you so much,
MelanieW

LIcenter
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Location: Long Island, NY Zone 7a/6b-ish

According to the google, Tinkerbelle is an upright, not a shrub type. I just picked up two Persian lilac, Syringa x persica, which are a shrub type.

Link added below.
https://umdarboretumandbotanicalgarden.b ... -gone.html

MelanieW
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Thanks. Does "upright" mean a tree?

Sorry, I'm a novice...

LIcenter
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Location: Long Island, NY Zone 7a/6b-ish

MelanieW wrote:Thanks. Does "upright" mean a tree?

Sorry, I'm a novice...
Not necessarily a tree by definition. They just don't have the droopy lateral branches most shrubs would normally have.
Was hoping someone else would jump in with a better description as I don't consider myself an expert in anything related to gardening, and or plants. 8)

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rainbowgardener
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All lilacs are shrubs, meaning they don't naturally grow with just a single trunk like a tree. The Tinkerbelle is a dwarf lilac that doesn't get very tall (about 6' ) and has a more upright growth pattern than some lilacs, meaning it doesn't spread as much or put out as many new stems surrounding the old ones. So it will get to be about 6' tall and 5' wide. My nearly 100 year old lilac (unknown variety) is at least 15' tall and 25' wide.

If what you wanted was a tree form lilac (called standard form), it can be pruned to that.

Image
https://www.dgardens.com/lilactreeform.jpg

this is a Miss Kim lilac, another dwarf variety.

In order to suggest any plants to go with your lilac, we would have to know where you are located.

Welcome to the Forum!

LIcenter
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Location: Long Island, NY Zone 7a/6b-ish

Thanks for jumping in rainbowgardener. If you need your lawnmower fixed, I'm your man. ;-)

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rainbowgardener
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Thanks!

I hope I was clear, that making it tree/ standard form is a matter of pruning and training, not only initially with the young lilac, but constant maintenance. Sometimes the shrub is just grafted on to a regular tree trunk. Here is the same Miss Kim lilac in its natural form:

Image



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