Reasons for Yellowing Leaves on Lilac and How to Fix Them

As a woody plant, during its dormant period it sheds its leaves to reduce heat loss and store energy to survive the winter safely. So it is normal for the leaves to turn yellow in late autumn and then gradually fall; this is the plant's normal metabolism.

This problem is serious. Chlorosis is mainly caused by a lack of soluble iron in the soil.

In many regions the soil contains a great deal of carbonate, which makes the soil alkaline, especially in northern regions, lowering the soil's iron content; or, when there is too much rain, the iron in the soil is leached away. In such conditions the soil is rather sticky and heavy, and the growth activity of the roots is inhibited, which reduces their uptake of iron. Just as people become anemic when they lack iron, plants that lack iron have their photosynthesis affected, which reduces the accumulation of nutrients in the plant.

If the soil of a potted lilac at home is alkaline, it can be improved appropriately. Try not to plant it in alkaline soil, or in low-lying spots that easily collect water, otherwise the root system will easily develop poorly and yellowing will result.

Replenish fertilizer in good time. Adding a suitable amount of ferrous sulfate to organic fertilizer not only supplies nutrients but also increases the acidity of the soil. Moreover, as organic fertilizer releases its nutrients it produces organic acids, which can increase the activity of iron and promote uptake by the plant.

When the lilac leaves show slight yellowing, take care to improve the soil promptly. If you do not have a specialized solution, you can use edible vinegar or lemon water, diluted with water at a low concentration, and pour it on the soil; afterwards you can add a little each time you water.

What to Do When Lilac Leaves Wilt, and the Causes of Wilting Lilac Leaves

Lilac is not at all delicate. It is pure and beautiful, fragrant and elegant. When it blooms in spring, its large and gorgeous flower clusters cover the whole plant, giving a superb ornamental effect. So what should you do when lilac leaves wilt? Let's take a look below!

I. Causes of wilting lilac leaves

Lilac is a plant that likes sunny, warm environments, and it also likes moist, circulating air.

There are several possible reasons why lilac leaves wilt. First, inadequate light indoors and a lack of regular ventilation cause the leaves of a lilac that likes light and circulating air to turn yellow and wilt.

Second, the potting soil of the lilac may be too dry. Lilac likes a moist environment, and dry potting soil hinders its growth, so the leaves do not get enough nutrients and turn yellow and decline.

Finally, there is insufficient water supply. Because lilac likes moisture, not misting the leaves regularly indoors causes the leaves to wither from drought.

II. What to do when lilac leaves wilt

There are many reasons why lilac leaves wither, most of them related to its growth habits. If you want to protect the plant and take preventive measures well, you need to pay attention to caring for it according to its growth habits in normal times.

First, give the lilac enough light and ensure the growing environment is warm, not cold. Indoors, ventilate regularly so the leaves can breathe fresh air and carry out photosynthesis, which is good for growth.

Second, check whether the soil in which the lilac grows is dry. If it is dry, first spray water on the leaves; once the leaves have absorbed the water and dried, you can water the potting soil.

Finally, pay attention to the timing and frequency of watering. Because the weather is hot in summer, lilac also needs a great deal of water, so keep the soil moist. Do not wait until the soil is dry before watering; in normal times, water twice a day.

All right, we have told you the causes and the remedies. Hurry and take action to save your treasures!

The Language of Lilac Flowers | The Love Story of Lilac

The lilac has the glorious nickname "flower of heaven," perhaps because of its noble fragrance, which has been treasured since ancient times. Thus the language of the lilac flower is also worthy of the radiance of the nickname "flower of heaven."

People born under the blessing of this flower are blessed by the gods and have a radiant life. Because they are too clever, they have the flaw of liking shortcuts. It is hoped that in the process of pursuit, they will not forget the ultimate goal.

Date, flower name, meaning: December 15, Lilac, undying;

Flower language: purity, first love;

Flower language: brightness (Bright);

Flower language: (purple) gratitude of first love, shyness; purple lilac means thinking of the girl of one's first love;

Flower language: (red) the sprouting of love, innocence;

Flower language: silent love

Lilac

Lilac (Mezereon)

Flower language: brightness (Bright)

The lilac has the glorious nickname "flower of heaven," perhaps because of its noble fragrance, which has been treasured since ancient times. Thus the language of the lilac flower is also worthy of the radiance of the nickname "flower of heaven."

People born under the blessing of this flower are blessed by the gods and have a radiant life. Because they are too clever, they have the flaw of liking shortcuts. It is hoped that in the process of pursuit, they will not forget the ultimate goal.

Lilac blooms in mid-spring, when all flowers vie in splendour. Its fragrance assails the senses, its blossoms are abundant and its colors lovely, making it very endearing. Lilac belongs to the genus Syringa in the family Oleaceae, and is a clumping large shrub or small tree. It is native to the northeastern and northern regions of China. Many wild species still exist today, such as littleleaf lilac, hairyleaf lilac, red lilac, Liaodong lilac and so on. The lilac flower was originally purple, which is why it is also called purple lilac.

  White lilac is a variety of purple lilac; its fragrance is stronger than that of purple lilac, making it more popular. It is often planted together with purple lilac, and the colors are harmonious and elegantly understated, adding even more charm. In addition, through many years of cultivation there are also fragrant lilac, whose flowers are double and smell like jasmine; weeping lilac, whose flowers are white inside and red outside and hang downward, with a graceful and delightful appearance; lotus lilac, whose flowers are yellow-white and whose fragrance resembles that of privet, showing a wholly plain and elegant charm; and southern lilac, whose flowers are blue-purple and very refined.

  Lilac buds can also be distilled into lilac oil, which is an important fragrance material. Zanzibar Island in Tanzania, Africa, is rich in clove, which enjoys a high international reputation and is known as the "Island of Cloves."

  Lilac was widely cultivated in China as early as the Tang and Song dynasties. It is said that the reason lilac is so beloved, besides its plain, pure beauty and its refreshing delicate fragrance, is also that it is a symbol of love and happiness, and it is often praised as the "flower of love" and the "tree of happiness." This is often described in the poetry and prose of literati. In the novel Flowers in the Mirror, among the flowers listed as the "Twelve Friends," lilac is one of them. Moreover, the Tang dynasty poet Li Shangyin, in his poem "A Gift on Behalf of Another," used the lines "Upstairs at dusk I wish to gaze and rest, the jade stair lies broken, the moon like a hook; the banana leaf will not unfurl, the lilac knot stays closed, each facing the spring wind with its own sorrow," using lilac as a metaphor for love and describing a young woman's lingering longing for her sweetheart. The Tang poet Lu Guimeng wrote a poem "Lilac": "Eagerly untie the lilac knot, let the abundant branches spread freely and scatter spring." He used the lilac flower to express his feelings and lodge his emotions.

  People in ancient times used the lilac flower to express love, and in many places in China today it is still the same, with the lilac flower regarded as the flower of love. In Yunnan, the De'ang and Dai peoples hold a traditional "Flower Picking Festival" every spring when the flowers bloom. Young men and women in festive dress vie to go up the mountains to pick lilac flowers and give them to their sweethearts, expressing steadfast loyalty in love. In some places the lilac flower is also used as a token of love or as a gift to urge on a marriage. After a man and woman have become engaged, if the woman agrees to the marriage, she sends a messenger to deliver a bouquet of lilac flowers to the man. After the man receives the bouquet sent by the woman, he must place it in the new room where they will soon be married, and before the flowers fade he must choose an auspicious day for the wedding and the bride's reception.

  In addition, the reason lilac is called the flower of love is also that the following moving story has long circulated among the people.

  In ancient times, a young and handsome scholar was traveling to the capital to take the imperial examination. As it was getting dark, he put up for the night at a small shop by the roadside. The shopkeeper and his daughter were warm and attentive, and the scholar was very grateful, so he stayed at the shop for two extra days. The shopkeeper's daughter saw that the scholar was upright in character and well educated and reasonable, and she fell in love with him; the scholar saw that the girl was beautiful, clever and capable, and he liked her very much too. The two pledged themselves under the moon and bowed to heaven and earth, their hearts inclined to each other. Then the girl wanted to test the scholar and proposed that they match couplets. The scholar agreed, and after a little thought he gave the first line: "Ice-cold wine, one dot, two dots, three dots." The girl thought for a moment and was just about to speak the second line when the shopkeeper suddenly arrived. Seeing that the two had privately pledged themselves to each other, he was furious and scolded his daughter for ruining the family's reputation and shaming the ancestors. The girl wept and told him that the two truly loved each other and begged her father to grant their wish, but the shopkeeper stubbornly refused. The girl was of a fierce temperament and immediately died of rage. The shopkeeper regretted it beyond measure and could only follow his daughter's dying wish and bury her on the hillside behind the shop. The scholar was overcome with grief and could no longer seek official rank, so he stayed in the shop to keep the old man company, and the father-in-law and son-in-law passed their days in sorrow.

  Before long, on the girl's grave on the hillside behind the shop, there grew a lush stand of lilac trees, covered in splendid blossoms and overflowing with fragrance. The scholar was astonished, and every day he went up the hill to look at the lilac, as if he were seeing the girl. One day, the scholar saw a white-haired old man passing by, so he stopped him and told him of his steadfast love with the girl and of the couplet the girl had not yet answered before she died. After hearing the scholar's words, the white-haired old man turned and looked at the lilac flowers blooming on the grave, and said to the scholar: "The girl's couplet has been answered." The scholar hurried forward and asked: "How do you know the second line the girl answered, sir?" The old man stroked his beard, pointed at the lilac flowers on the grave and said: "This is the matching line." The scholar still did not understand, and the old man went on:

  "Ice-cold wine, one dot, two dots, three dots;

  Lilac flower, hundred-head, thousand-head, ten-thousand-head."

  "In your first line, 'ice-cold wine,' the radicals of the three characters are, in order: 'ice' is one-dot water, 'cold' is two-dot water, and 'wine' is three-dot water. In the 'lilac flower' the girl became, the tops of the three characters are, in order: 'ding' is the top of 'hundred,' 'xiang' is the top of 'thousand,' and 'hua' is the top of 'ten thousand.' Front and back correspond, a work of matchless craftsmanship." When the scholar heard this, he quickly bowed in thanks: "Thank you for your guidance, sir; I will never forget it as long as I live." The old man said: "It is rare for a girl to be so devoted to you; a thousand pieces of gold could not buy it. Now her wish has turned into the beautiful lilac flower. You must treat it well and let it bloom in splendour generation after generation, its fragrance drifting ten thousand li." As soon as the words were finished, the old man vanished without a trace. From then on, the scholar carried water to water the flowers every day without ever stopping. The lilac bloomed even more luxuriantly and beautifully.

  Later generations, to remember this pure and kind girl and to respect her noble integrity in remaining steadfast and unyielding in love, from then on regarded the lilac flower as the flower of love, and they called this "marriage couplet" the "couplet of life and death," regarding it as a matchless verse, and it has been passed down to this day.

  The lilac flower is not only regarded by people as the "flower of love," but is also treated as the "tree of happiness." It turns out that there is also a beautiful legend of the "divine tree lilac" behind this.

  It is said that long ago, at the foot of the Riyue Mountains on the Qinghai Plateau, there lived a family. The father was very old, and his three sons had one after another taken wives. The eldest son farmed at home, the second son went out to do business, and the third son taught at a private school, and the whole family lived a happy life.

  In the courtyard where this family lived, in the very center grew a wheel-ber tree as thick as a bowl's mouth, also called a lilac tree. The tree was already over a hundred years old, yet still had luxuriant branches and leaves and clusters of blossoms. The old man often told the whole family, "Our family owes all its good fortune to this lilac tree; only thanks to it do we have today's good life." The whole family regarded the tree as divine, pruning and watering it with particular diligence. One day, the old man called his three sons to his side and said earnestly: "When people grow old, they must die. After I die, you three brothers must live in harmony, and none of you may propose dividing the family. If you want to divide the family, then only if the lilac tree in the courtyard withers." Before long, the old man died.

  In the third year after the old man's death, the lilac tree suddenly withered. The three brothers thought it was heaven's will that they divide the family, but remembering their late father's charge, they knelt before the tree and wept bitterly, holding their heads. They wept for seven days and seven nights without stopping, when suddenly, with a "boom," a large pitch-black iron nail burst out from the trunk, and it landed precisely in front of the second son's wife. Everyone was greatly startled and suspicious at this sight, and all fixed their eyes on the second son's wife. Under everyone's insistent questioning, she had no choice but to tell the reason.

  It turned out that the second son's wife, seeing that her own man was away doing business all year round yet the silver he earned went to the whole family to use, had long been dissatisfied in her heart. Hearing the old man's dying charge, she secretly harbored a different intention and wanted to find a way to kill the lilac tree. At first she poured dirty water and dumped filth on the lilac tree, wanting to rot it to death. Who would have thought that that year the lilac tree not only did not die, but grew even more luxuriantly, and its flowers became even more beautiful and vivid. The second son's wife was furious, so she quietly hacked with a knife and wounded all the branches of the lilac tree. Unexpectedly, the tenacious lilac tree in the following spring put out even more new branches and leaves, and its purple flowers bloomed larger and more fragrant. Now the second son's wife was even more annoyed. Having gone this far, she would not stop, and she secretly found an iron nail five cun long and drove it into the trunk. Just like that, the lilac tree was indeed ravaged until it withered and died.

  Now that the matter of her killing the lilac tree had become known to everyone, the second son's wife felt ashamed, admitted her mistake in front of everyone, was willing to mend her ways, begged the whole family to forgive her, and also asked the lilac tree to forgive her, vowing that from then on she would live well with everyone and never again mention dividing the family. After discussing it, the whole family decided to forgive her. From then on, the brothers and their wives lived in harmony, and the whole family once again lived a happy life in reunion.

  Before long the lilac tree put out new shoots and sent up new branches. Moreover, from that year on, it bloomed every year in spring and autumn, and the whole family loved it even more.

  Lilac is not only a symbol of love and happiness; it also formed an indissoluble bond with Buddhism. In some regions of northwestern China, the lilac tree is called the "bodhi tree" by Buddhist believers. But in fact, bodhi is bodhi and lilac is lilac; these are two different tree species far apart in both form and habits. Since they are two kinds of trees, why do Buddhist believers also call the lilac trees planted in temples bodhi trees? This goes back a long way.

  Bodhi is a Buddhist Sanskrit term, meaning "sudden enlightenment," "a state of complete awakening as bright as the sun." It is understood as "the awakening of wisdom" or "the rousing of enlightenment."

  The bodhi tree is native to India, and Indians call it the pippala tree. This tree belongs to the mulberry family and is an evergreen tree, reaching a height of 10 to 20 m. Its leaves are triangular-ovate, and it has separate male and female flowers, but both male and female flowers grow inside a tightly closed receptacle and cannot be seen by people. Therefore, people often call it the fig.

  The lilac tree belongs to the olive family and is native to the northern temperate zone. It is a deciduous shrub, rarely a tree, commonly 3 to 5 m tall, and older specimens can reach over 8 m. Its leaves are elliptical. It has bisexual flowers, and the flowers are purple, pink or white, with an assailing fragrance.

  It is said that Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, once sat in meditation beneath the bodhi tree and attained enlightenment, becoming a Buddha and founding Buddhism. From then on, the bodhi tree has been closely connected with Buddhism. It is regarded as a sacred tree. It is widely planted in Buddhist temples, and the tree was named with the Sanskrit teaching term "bodhi." From then on the bodhi tree also became supreme. The bodhi tree was introduced into China very early, and the Qunfangpu calls it the tree of thought.

  In planting bodhi trees in temples, Buddhism, besides expressing the firmness and piety of its faith, mainly did so to commemorate the Buddha's attaining enlightenment and becoming a Buddha.

  However, the true bodhi tree is only suitable for planting in the tropics and subtropics, and in China it can only grow well in southern China and along the southeastern coast. Therefore Buddhist disciples had to choose some tree species suited to the local climate and environment to replace the bodhi tree. For example, some temples in the south chose the soapberry tree to replace the bodhi tree. This tree is called moolanzi by people in Guangdong and youchuanzi by people in Sichuan. Its seed kernels are black and very hard and can be made into prayer beads, and it is regarded as an auspicious object; Buddhism also calls this tree the bodhi seed tree. Some temples in the north mostly chose the rare and precious ginkgo tree to replace the bodhi tree. The ginkgo tree is tall and majestic and long-lived, and is praised as "China's bodhi tree." But in places such as Gansu and Qinghai in northwestern China, because of the influence of the plateau climate, none of the above tree species can be planted, so Buddhist disciples chose the Amur lilac (a kind of lilac in the same genus as the purple lilac) to replace the bodhi tree. People call the Amur lilac the "Western Sea bodhi tree." It is said that the lilac trees in Beijing's Fayuan Temple are relics from the Ming dynasty. Another example is a Amur lilac tree in the Qutan Temple south of Ledu County, Qinghai Province; it is said to have been planted when the temple was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty, and it has a history of more than six hundred years. Especially in the eastern part of the Qinghai Plateau, 25 km from the provincial capital Xining, in Sha'er Town, Huangzhong County, there is a world-famous holy site of Lamaism - Ta'er Monastery, one of the famous monasteries of the Gelug school of Buddhism. It is said that the construction of this magnificent Buddhist monastery originally began because of a strange Amur lilac tree.

  It is said that after Tsongkhapa, the great master of Buddhism in the Tibetan region, was born, a white sandalwood tree (an Amur lilac tree) grew in the place where he was born. It had thick roots and luxuriant leaves, and about one hundred thousand leaves grew on the tree, and on each leaf an image of the Lion's Roar Buddha would naturally appear; even on the bark many natural body images and writings would appear, hence the name "gunmu" (meaning one hundred thousand body images). This extraordinary white sandalwood tree (Amur lilac) was praised by Buddhist believers as a bodhi tree.

  In the eleventh year of Hongwu of the Ming dynasty (1378), Tsongkhapa was studying the scriptures in Tibet, and his parents wrote from Qinghai urging him to return home to visit them. After receiving the letter, Tsongkhapa considered: the journey back to Qinghai was long and would affect his study of the scriptures, so he decided not to return to his hometown. So he sent a disciple to deliver a letter, a personal portrait painted with his own nose blood, and a scroll of the Lion's Roar Buddha image. The letter said: "If, in the place where I was born, a stupa is built with one hundred thousand Lion's Roar Buddha images and the bodhi tree (Amur lilac tree) as the center, then it will be like seeing your son in person." After his mother received this letter, she was extremely grief-stricken and devoutly enshrined the two portraits. In the twelfth year of Hongwu of the Ming dynasty (1379), with the financial support of his followers and in accordance with the instructions of Master Tsongkhapa, a stupa called the Great Ta'er Stupa was built with the white sandalwood tree (lilac tree) as the center. Later, because of the stupa's great fame, in the thirty-ninth year of Jiajing of the Ming dynasty (1560 CE) a monastery called Ta'er Monastery was built on the site where the stupa had been built. In the monastery, more than ten large buildings such as the Great Golden Tile Temple, the Small Golden Tile Temple and the Great Sutra Hall are splendid and dazzling. When the monastery was at its height it had more than one thousand monks. It is now a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level.

  That strange lilac tree also has a history of more than six hundred years. Thereafter, the Amur lilac was regarded as a bodhi tree by some Buddhist communities in the northwest. Among these, besides the reasons of legend and religious belief, it is also because the lilac tree can adapt to the local climatic conditions, grows well, and has a graceful and elegant posture, with plain and elegant flowers and a rich fragrance; it is a symbol of auspiciousness and happiness and can express the prosperity of Buddhism. These are probably all reasons why Buddhist believers call the lilac trees planted in temples bodhi trees.

  Lilac is an ornamental plant appreciated by both refined and popular tastes. When it blooms, its fragrance fills the eyes and its fresh scent spreads in all directions, so it is now widely cultivated throughout northern and southern China. Whether planted in the open in a courtyard or garden, or grown in a pot and placed in a study or hall, or cut and placed in a vase, it delights the eye and the heart and adds a touch of refined elegance.