Next to bicycling, my favorite reason to visit Mackinac Island in the summer is to see the beautiful lilacs in bloom. Every June, hundreds of lilac shrubs produce a calming array of whites, pinks, lavender and near-violet and purple flowers.

There are dozens of lilac varieties in a loose collection held by Islanders, businesses and in Mackinac Island State Park. They’re everywhere!

“You get off the boat and you can smell them, it’s wonderful,” says Trish Martin, a naturalist on the Island.

Lilacs are so popular on the Island that a festival named in their honor draws thousands of visitors each year. The Lilac Festival is a popular 10-day event that ends on Father’s Day and features food, fun and the appreciation of lilacs, according to Mary McQuire Slevin, executive director of the Mackinac Island Tourist Bureau.

“The festival celebrates its most recognized botanical symbol, the lilac, while emphasizing its international cultural and historical appeal,” explains Slevin.

While at the festival, check out one of several lilac “walk and talk” seminars sponsored by the International Lilac Society. The Society will also be hosting their annual conference on the Island this year during festival week, according to Slevin.

Origin and Varieties
The origin of lilacs on this historic island is somewhat of a mystery, but it appears they’ve been around since about 1870, according to Jeff Young, lilac curator and member of the International Lilac Association.

“There are a few that are between 100 and 125 years old,” says Young. The locals call them ‘trees,’ as well they should, because some are over 30 feet tall and have trunks over 2 feet wide!

The most prevalent lilac here is the common lilac, or Syringa vulgaris. Lilacs are scattered throughout the Island and often indicate the location of old homesteads—properties that are now owned by the State Park. “You can find an old settlement by where lilacs are growing,” says Martin.

Martin adds that the lilacs favor the Island’s cold winters, warm summers, and thin, lime- and calcium-enriched soil.

Like many plants, lilacs aren’t particularly difficult to grow, and most varieties are hardy for the area, even north of the Straits. However, a few tips are in order for them to thrive and show off their pretty blooms.

Tips For Growing Lilacs
Lilacs will grow in a well-drained sandy or sandy-loam soil. They should be planted in a fairly protected location that receives at least 10 hours of full sun each day, particularly during the morning hours. While lilacs can tolerate the cold, they don’t like excessive wind, which can dry out the branches and cause some dieback.

Prepare the soil by removing the sod in a 6-foot diameter circle that will allow the canes room to grow and multiply. Replace the sod with good topsoil or a garden amendment, such as compost. A slight berm or raised area will enhance drainage. Mix about a cup of palletized lime and some slow-release fertilizer into the planting bed.

Plant your lilac at the level it was growing in the nursery container and space them up to 16 feet apart. Water it in and provide a 2 or 3-inch layer of pine bark mulch around the plant, keeping the mulch about 6 inches away from the trunk or canes of the plant.

For a good flower show and overall appearance, you’ll want to encourage the establishment of nine-12 canes, which will sucker from the base of the plant. Over the years, as the canes multiply you can prune back the older ones to maintain 9-12 productive ones. Provide a new layer of mulch each year.

To encourage good blooming, deadhead the plant by removing the faded flowers. A light feeding each year with a 5-10-5 fertilizer also encourages flowering, as will the addition of 2-3 cups of palletized lime for older lilacs that haven’t bloomed for awhile.

Keep mowers and weed trimmers away from the plant’s trunk, which is one of the main reasons some lilacs don’t bloom in the summer, according to Young. The other reason for poor flowering is compaction around the plant base, due to heavy foot traffic and lawn tractors.

Lilacs are prone to borers, leaf miners and powdery mildew. Borers are rare and are treated by filling in the hole they make with garden wax or potters clay. Leaf miners do minimal damage. Powdery mildew is rather difficult to treat and is often left alone. You can minimize the spread of a fungus by watering at the base of the plant and sterilizing your pruning shears before you prune another plant. There are also fungicides on the market that can be applied early in the year as a preventative measure.

Lilacs come in early, mid- and late-flowering types. Tree types, such as the Japanese lilac, are very popular, particularly in cities because of its salt tolerance, said Young. He also recommends “Josee,” and “Miss Kim,” the latter being a multicolored easy-to-grow lilac.

For more information on the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, log-on to www.mackinac.com.

Neil Moran is the author of “North Country Gardening,” and has a Web site at www.neilmoran.com