Lilacs have been an integral part of German gardens for centuries. The flowering shrub, which grows up to four meters high, not only impresses with its dense growth and dark green foliage, but above all with its lush, fragrant flowers. The plant, which comes from southern Europe, is also robust and easy to care for - which is noticeable in the roots, among other things. These are spreading almost everywhere.

Lilac roots grow both in width and in depth

Deep-rooted or shallow-rooted? Or even both?

It's not really possible to say whether the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) belongs to the deep or shallow roots. In fact, the shrub spreads underground, both in a fan shape and close to the surface, and at depth - depending on the composition of the soil at its location and the depth at which nutrients and water are found. The deep-reaching roots provide the lilac with everything it needs - and the meter-long ring-shaped roots provide plenty of offshoots, through which numerous varieties propagate. By the way: Plants generally only root as deep as they absolutely have to. If there is a nutrient and water-rich layer on the surface, the roots of a classic deep-rooting plant do not reach deep.

Important: It is essential to keep to the plant stands

Since lilac roots spread so quickly, you should definitely keep the recommended planting distances not only to neighboring plants, but also to walls etc. It is usually recommended to choose a distance between one and one and a half meters for vigorous varieties. Lilac hedges can of course be planted more densely.

Dig up all the lilacs - otherwise there is a risk of a lilac invasion

Many lilac varieties - not all - form so-called root suckers, which can also appear at a distance of several meters from the main trunk. You should bear this in mind if you want to remove a lilac - simply sawing off the trunk usually only results in hundreds of root shoots suddenly breaking out. For this reason, you should always dig up the roots as completely as possible. For the same reason, it makes sense to install a root barrier when planting to control the growth of the lilac and its spread.

tips

A simple pond liner or similar is not sufficient as a root barrier, as the strong roots simply pierce it. Instead, you should use a more stable rhizome barrier.

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Trees