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Lilac doesn't flower?

Courtney-PCourtney-P Posts: 17
in Plants
Hello! I inherited a lilac in a small pot at the back of the garden, but for the past few years it just has not flowered. The plant dies away every year and then comes back green in the spring, I can even currently see tiny little buds on it - but it just does not flower! I'm new to gardening so not really sure what to do with it? 

Posts

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    The answer is probably the small pot. Even the small lilac Palibin would need a decent sized pot. I would move it into a larger one with fresh compost, if you intend to keep it in the pot use a John Innes no.3. It will also need a reasonable amount of sun so don’t keep it anywhere shady.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Better still, plant it out if you can.

    Whichever you decide it will be pot bound so give the root ball a thorough soaking till no more air bubble appear while you are preparing a square planting hole or a bigger pot.   Then tease the roots out to stop them carrying on just going round and round.

    Plant it at the same depth as before and water it well.  If it's going in a pot again, use John Innes no 3 as advised by @Butterfly66 and leave an inch or so clear at the top for watering.  If it's going in the ground, add some well-rotted manure and/or garden compost to the hole and soil for back-filling to help it get its roots heading out into the soil.   Water well in both cases.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Courtney-PCourtney-P Posts: 17
    Thank you both!! Trying really hard to get better in the garden, and will follow the advice :)
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