Evening star., 1932-04-19
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| We like that botanical use Of vulgaris.
! Somehow II brings home to the mind OF
man, as few other words can, that there
Is nothing common in the vulgar, a1ter
all; that our modern use OF the woro
vulgar Is merely one restricted appn-
cation. and not particularly good one,
either, Of term which originally meant
much more.
No one can look at the glory of
! syringa vulgaris in bloom, especially he
VIII not be able to smell that very ira
| GRANGE OF memory, and retain the peiie1
that something labeled vulgar" must
necessarily be such as we think OF the
word in ordinary usage.
When 9 out Of 10 gardeners, even to-
Day think Of llacs, they think OF the
blooms of syringa vulgaris. and mostly
in the purple variety. There is a white
variety, too, which is extensively grown,
as 1t is much taller, and usually bears
Its pannicles at the top of the bush.
Even the home owner of the most
unlnVestigating turn Of mind, however,
VIII have noticed that even among COM
mon hlacs there seem to be some
bushes which bloom before others, or
later.
How does this come about?
II happens because they are actually
looking at the blossoms, perhaps, Of
bushes which they think to be speci-
mems OF syringa vulgaris, but actually
are being borne on different species
winch have different blooming times.
There are some 20 or more Of these
species OF lilacs, including the so-called
Fersian lilac. the Chinese lilac, the
japanese lilac, the villosa, etc.
Inc named varieties" have been built
up ny crossing. and are propagated by
pudding grating, layering and other
means: Shese are interesting nursery
| operation. but it is scarcely necessary
LOT the lr me owner to know much
ABOUT them unless he happens to be
particularly interested.
n
Only by using the actual wood and
puos can these flowers be propagated
true TO type. If seed from them Is
USED there Is no telling what one will
get
There are several hundred of these
named nlacs In commerce, ranging from
tne souvenir de Ludwig Spaeth, origi-
nateo oy the Berlin grower of that
name IN 1888, to scores of newer things,
such as Katharine Havemeyer, origi-
mated by Emile Lemoine in 1922.
Inc nome gardener must stand some
| what agog, in a horticultural sense,
before this array Of lilacs, where he
Thought there was only one lilac before.
NOW he Will understand why, as he
goes around town in middle Nav. he
sees different colored lilac flowers.
bushes OF different habits Of growth,
and especially why some bushes bloom
peIore others and some very much later.
| y
He can do no better II he wants
to investigate lilacs personally in his
own garden, than to put himself into
the hands Of some competent nursery-
man and take his advice.
This will not mean, however. that he
shall not purchase according to his own
taste and temperament. Named lilacs
may be bought with flowers ranging
from true lilac through purple to very
dark purple-red; some Of them have
pink tinges, others are pure white.
The matter Of fragrance Is some.
thing too, which the purchaser should
look into as carefully as possible.
There Is nothing more disappointing
than a lilac without the typical Mac
fragrance. The very soul, indeed. of
the lilac Is lacking in such a case.
And II all this seems too much bother
70 some home owner, let him be reas-
sureo in this particular. that for ALL
! around satisfaction he will find our old.
dearly beloved common purple lilac as
wonderful q shrub today as when it
was brought to America and planted
around the doorways Of the New Eng
land farm houses.