Like so many garden shrubs, the summer lilac also belongs to the flat roots. In this article you will find out what this means and what you should pay attention to.
The summer lilac is a shallow root and spreads its roots in all directions
What is a flat rooter?
Shallow-rooted plants are plants that do not spread their roots deep into the ground, but spread out in a fan-shaped pattern close to the surface of the earth. Only a few roots go deep to ensure stability. Shallow-rooted plants are generally at risk of falling over in storms and the like, are typically found in dry, sandy soil and tend to spread quickly via root runners. Not only can these cause distress to other neighboring plants, they can even damage buildings.
Be sure to keep planting distances
For this reason, you should always keep to the planting distances specified for the respective variety - not only to the next plant, but also to house walls, fences, etc. Buddleia can grow up to 300, sometimes even 400 centimeters high and spread their root network in the same way extent off. You only have to keep a minimum distance of about 80 centimeters for planting a flowering hedge.
Do I need to install a root barrier?
Many shallow roots are prevented from spreading uncontrolled by means of a root barrier. However, this measure is not necessary for summer lilac, as it does not multiply via root suckers. Instead, however, the seeds can become problematic because the shrub will self-seed and thus produce numerous offspring. So cut away faded shoots regularly to prevent self-seeding.
Dig up summer lilac
Also when digging up the buddleia you have to keep an eye on the flat, spread roots. To ensure that the shrub survives the move unscathed, you should cut off the root area in a radius of about two thirds of the growth height. So for a three meter tall shrub, this means that you define a circle with a diameter of two meters - with the plant as the center - and thus lift out most of the roots with it. In order to damage as few as possible, loosen the soil and roots with the digging fork and only then carefully lift the plant out.
tips
When planting near the house, you must be particularly careful to ensure that the summer lilac is supplied with water. The soil here is usually very dry, which is why plants placed here need more water than in other garden areas.