TREE OF THE MONTH
Japanese Tree Lilac
Were you lucky enough to snag a few of these gorgeous late spring bloomers from our tree sale? Japanese tree lilac grows larger than our common shrub lilacs and blooms a little later in the spring. And although they are in the same family as their purple flowering cousins these are less likely to spread and sucker like a shrub, hence they are called a tree lilac. The tree lilac has reddish-brown, cherry-like bark with elongated lenticels. It exhibits dark green simple leaves in pairs (opposite) on stems that are ovate with a rounded base. Leaves fall in autumn with little color change (yellow green). Small, creamy white, fragrant flowers are held in large clusters 6 to 12 inches high.The fruit is dry capsules, usually in large enough quantities that they add some interest to the late summer landscape.
Flora Facts
Know you Bee's!
Alfalfa flower's have a pollen bearing stamen that strikes the underside of bee's with force, releasing it's pollen in a small explosion. Honey bees learn to avoid these blows by stealing nectar through a slit in the flower. The tough ground nesting Alkali bee, like the one pictured, don't mind the impact and are much more efficient pollinators of the crop.
Learn more about these powerful pollinators at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/alkali_bee.shtml
