I wandered past an old post here where I planted a few discount lilacs. I seem to recall them being end-of-season markdowns around $8 each but that memory is fuzzy. You can see above what five years of full sun and good topsoil can do. All of them are easily six feet tall and burst into full bloom this year for the first time. I literally haven’t touched them since I put them in the ground but I do hack back the wild grasses around their base every so often. They’ve proven themselves as able wind breaks even as it gets a running start at them across the whole of the meadow. As vigourous as they are I should now be able to propagate cuttings and make as many more plants as needed for a grand screening wall of scent.
If you can’t afford large $100 specimens from the nursery, put the right (little) plant in the right place and wait. Patiently. It’s a gardening virtue everytime.
