I AM HALFWAY THROUGH a long season of lilac blooms that started before the first of May this year and looks to have another 10 days to go, weather depending. Meet the gang (wish I had scratch-and-sniff technology here for you).
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- Syringa vulgaris ‘Agincourt Beauty’
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- Syringa vulgaris ‘Little Boy Blue’
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- Syringa vulgaris ‘Sensation’
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- Syringa hyacinthiflora ‘Blanche Sweet’
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- Syringa vulgaris ‘Marie Frances’
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- Syringa vulgaris ‘Wedgwood Blue’
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- Syringa vulgaris ‘Avalanche’
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- Syringa vulgaris
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- Syringa hyacinthiflora ‘Mount Baker’
Related posts:
Wow, the variety of colors is really gorgeous. I wish we could smell them. No such luck on having lilacs in Austin, so I’ll have to admire from afar.
Bonnie, For lilacs that may bloom in your area, check out the ones developed by Descanso Gardens in Pasadena, California. They are low-chill varieties that don’t need a long winter chill period to set buds and flower.
I planted “Sensation” and “President’s Grey” last spring. They are just beginning to bud and I can’t wait to see them bloom for the first time.
All those lilacs can mean a nice batch of lilac wine!
4 GALLON BATCH:
3 lbs. of lilac petals, no stems or greens
10 lbs. sugar
4.5 tbs. acid blend
1/2 tsp. tannin
4 gallons water
3 tsp. yeast nutrient
2 campden tablets
Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast
1. Place flowers in a large stainless steel pot with 2 gallons of hot water, almost boiling, let stand 1/2 hour.
2. Pour flower/water mixture into fine mesh nylon straining bag and into a 5~6 gallon plastic fermenting bucket with 2 remaining gallons of cool water and crushed campden tablets, stir well and place lid on and let stand for 24 hours to kill off any wild yeasts.
3. Next day, add remaining ingredients, SG will be close to 1.090, T.A. .60%, PH 2.8, be sure to rehydrate yeast and add to must, keep warm @75F. to start fermentation…it starts quickly.
4. On day two, squeeze out the flowers and juice from the nylon bag and discard pulp and let fermentation proceed. Let the batch slowly ferment at 62F. for 2 ~ 3 weeks until dry….it’ll be a milky, peachy/rosy color with a very light fragrance. Should take about 3 ~ 4 months to fully clear, rack 2 ~ 3 times during this period and add potassium metabisulfite between rackings to stabilize.
Not my recipe, but it looked intriguing…if slightly complicated.
Bonnie, if lilacs fail, there is always the Crape Myrtle – a cousin of the lilac that grows in the south, but they are not fragrant.
-Andrew
The lilacs on the farm should be in full bloom by this weekend. (We are quite a bit further north than you are).
Thanks for giving us a glimpse of things to come.
I may just have to try that lilac wine.
@Bonnie: Welcome, and good thing Gardenboy chimed in to help…he’s a pretty smart cookie.
@Gardenboy, muchas gracias, as ever.
@Amy and Brent: sounds like you are both in for a treat any minute. (And Amy, my ‘Sensation’ got so gigantic–yikes! Like 15 feet tall now.)
@Andrew: Party boy!
Andrew,
Ever-faithful google turns up a slew of lilac wine recipes, as I found out when Bill tried to unearth the one he used @ 25 years ago and couldn’t. Some are a tad easier than the one you quote and knowing him, I’m sure the one he used was in the easier column.
All the recipes say it’s ready to drink in a year or two, but the only vintage I’ve ever tried was that ancient one, when it was about 15 years old, and it was AMAZING, probably the best homemade wine in my experience.
Given the quality of most homemade wine, that’s not really saying much, but if you have plenty of lilacs and a cool cellar you might want to go for it.
i wonder if i can go around my neighborhood and pilfer enough blooms for a batch of wine…
every yard has some except mine.
Lovely! Are all varieties grown on your property? I believe I am able to
smell the fragance right here.mmmm.
Teaorwine: Yes, all in the yard (and a couple of others that weren’t ready yet for their photos the other day).
There is nothing like the fragrance of lilacs. We have a large bush planted under my daughter’s bedroom windows and in the warmer evenings it is just delicious!
Welcome, Lisa. I just took a trip to your blog and can see that you have a passion for plants, which reminds me of someone else I know around here. ;-)
I am so glad that you stopped in. Come again soon!
M.
A great selction, I will be planting some this year. Yes I wish it was scratch and sniff.
My coworker brought a bouquet of Syringa vulgaris ‘Sensation’ and put it on her desk. It is so stunningly pretty.
Welcome, Kristi. Isn’t ‘Sensation’ unusual? Yum. I enjoyed my visit to your website just now, by the way…chamomile tea! Sounds like a good recipe.
Margaret
Margaret – have you ever heard of any lilacs that will bloom in Phoenix? Being from MN, these, along with peonies, are the two plants I really miss – for their fragrance, of course.
Carillon in Phoenix
Welcome, Carillon, to A Way to Garden. To my knowledge, even the most heat-tolerant lilacs on the market still will not bloom in your combination of heat and arid conditions–specifically they want more winter chill period than you can give them. Not even the Descanso Gardens introductions like ‘Lavender Lady,’ which work in LA, nor the National Arboretum cultivars like ‘Betsy Ross’ and so on that work in the Deep South. One of the big wholesale nurseries, Monrovia, has a great tool on its website–you can filter browsing its plant lists by your USDA Hardiness Zone (I believe you are Zone 9; I used one of the Phoenix Zip Codes, not knowing yours) and the American Horticultural Society Heat Zone (Zone 11 is where you land from the zip code I used).
All that said, I found some info from the International Lilac Society website that may be of interest, about a member “experimenting” in Tucson and then in Vail, AZ, and having some success with ‘Lavender Lady’ and other lilacs. Here’s where to link to that article.
The good news is that the climate you now live in has so many wonders that cannot be grown in MN (or here!) that I urge you to spend some time exploring catalogs like High Country Gardens for a real treat, to see the range of possibility.
I was tricked into planting 27 of the Wedgwood Blue as a noise barrier for the front lawn.
This spring I passed a huge hedge of lilacs every night as I walked the dog. With temperatures hovering around 50º and a touch of dampness in the air, the perfume would hit and cling.
I threw money at my online bulb company late one night. The seedlings arrived. I paced them out – planting them on a waning moon just to be goofy. They are thriving, but…
I’ve created the perfect OCD craziness. I know I will have to rake through the hedge to get leaves to the curb this Fall. Because of this, I can’t mulch the area until I’ve raked.
I have to clear grass away from each plant. I’ve murdered one baby with the weed wacker, so it’s a weekly weeding job.
I have a rain barrel to keep them and the new roses healthy this summer. Because I’m a genius, I installed the barrel on the other side of the house. I’ll be toting buckets.
Sorry that this has been a lengthy whine. I’m asking experts to tell me I should mulch the lilacs, creating a bizarre path in the front yard.
Welcome, Jeff. Your comment made me smile–especially the OCD part. Aren’t we all when it comes to plants?
Not sure how to visualize the obstacles exactly–where the hedge is, where the leaves fall (and from what) that will get stuck there, etc. I am queen of the tarp and tip bag, meaning devices I can drag along with me wherever I am cleaning up and then just drag (ever fuller with junk) to the next spot and eventually to the heap (I don’t give my leaves away at the curb, I compost them).
So not sure how to advise…let me know! You can also always ask a question in our Forums.
In JULY, I was at the Montreal Botanical Gardens and saw what I think were lilacs in full bloom growing on bushes that were more like full trees. The individual blossoms were teeny tiny, but clumped in huge sprays (Ivory Silk???) I couldn’t find a name marker anywhere. The scent was incredible!!
Anyone familiar with this variety & know if they might do well in Maryland? They were to die for.
What’s wrong with hydrangeas, I would love to grow the large full blooming hydrangeas my grandmother use to grow.Where can I get them right now i have four very small plants ione to two years ago. the one plant I started two years ago as finally just started growing which means i have more than three leaves on the plant none have any amount of height and no flowers at all.I didn’t know it takes them so long to grow or is it me.Where can I get the old fashion hydrangeas? I live in Delaware. thanks
Welcome, Beverly Moore. Are you thinking the white-turning-pinkish/tan ones of fall, or the blue ones of summer?
I have a thing for fragrant flowers, but the Miss Kim lilac (advertised as fragrant) has nothing. I recently bought a Tinkerbelle. Are any of the smaller lilacs fragrant like the big old farmhouse (vulgaris) types?
I have seen some mainstream catalogs like Wayside and White Flower Farm touting a horribly named new dwarf lilac variety called ‘Bloomerang’ (the name alone would prevent me from buying it), that is meant to be fragrant and stay small. It was originally introduced by the prolific “plant hunter” Tim Wood of Spring Meadow Nursery, wholesalers of baby plants or “liners” to the nursery industry, under the name ‘Penda,’ which at least isn’t silly sounding. Anyhow, maybe one to keep an eye on or ask at your local nursery about?
There is a beautiful lacecap hydrangea named ‘Betheny Beach’ which we first saw on vacation in Delaware. Also. take a look at ‘Beauty of Moscow’ lilac, blush with a divine scent.
Welcome, Rae. Yes, Syringa vulgaris ‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’ as the ‘Beauty of Moscow’ was originally called is a stunning pale color. Thanks for two great suggestions, and do come back soon.
Anita/Margaret — Sorry to be late with a response. But, I have a wonderful small lilac with amazing fragrance which I got a White Flower Farm in 2004. It is Syringa microphylla “superba”. I just checked their site and they don’t list it now — might have it at the store. It has small leaves and the flowers are pale pinky/lilac when open but a deep red/burgandy in bud. They grow to about 8 feet tall and 6 — 8 feet wide. Best of all, they rebloom in late summer. The spring bloom covers the bush, but the late bloom takes its time and produces small amounts of flowers over a long period. They smell wonderful outside, but I find they droop and fall apart very quickly if cut and brought in the house. All in all they are just wonderful.
In re to the “Tinkerbell” lilac, I’ve had quite remarkable results with that one…have had it in a large pot (my “garden” is alas a pitiful (10′x15′?) slab of concrete…north-facing no less… that I’ve packed up with pots large and small). Anyway, though the flower color is a little on the anemic side, a rather washed out pink, that little Mama puts out a crop of fragrant flowers every year that is really quite remarkable…it is rather short in stature but it’s easily 6′ wide and every single branch tip has a bud on it and all of this in about a 17″ pot with probably no more than 3 hours of sun…can’t wait to move it to my “real house” one day!! Love this site by the way!!
Welcome, Denise. Glad to have more info on ‘Tinkerbell’ lilac, thank you. Sounds like it is a real “do-er” as they say. Sounds like it will be happy when you *both* move to that sunnier bigger spot someday (as I assume it will be going along?). :) See you soon again.
Thanks so much for this. I’ve been trying to figure out what type of lilac my favorite neighborhood bush is so I could plant one myself, now I know–Sensation. Wonderful.
I’m also having fun following you on Twitter (@tea_austen). I love how your comments throughout the day remind me to think about plants and trees (and frogs!) even while I am chained to the computer, and to get out there as much as I can. Thanks for that.
Also, you guys are really making me wish I had a sister!
Oh well, I can enjoy watching my nieces become good sisters to each other (they’re coming over tomorrow to play–might have to get them out in the garden as well!)
Welcome, Tea, and thank you for your encouragement. Yes, ‘Sensation’ is quite unusual. Good choice. I will go look for you on Twitter now, as will the @sisters…and hope to see you both places again soon.
So I have this lilac that I planted in my garden when I moved in 6 years ago. It was a tiny stick when it was gifted to me. Because it was a gift from someone else’s garden, I have no idea of what variety I have. It has grown considerably (it’s probably six feet tall), but has never bloomed. I went for a run this morning and saw tons of lilacs about to bloom in Brooklyn and wanted to cry. Anyone have any ideas of how I can get this thing to bloom?
Funny, I have the same problem with a “Grandma” lilac…my pet name for good old common S. vulgaris… that my cousin gave me….she dug up a sucker and I’ve had it for about six years and still no blooms…I’ve got a ‘Sensation’ right next to it that’s little more than a stick and it got its first bloom this year…I have this vague half-formed memory of reading something about certain types of cuttings of something (I warned you it was vague) not ever blooming…maybe akin to the suckers on fruit trees and tomatoes never bearing fruit??
I stumbled across this site while doing a google search on “how to find out what kind of lilac is in my yard”. Five years ago I planted two lilac bushes that I bought at a general garden store. They are beautiful. I did not save the tags, and now I cannot identify them. In the spring, the leaves turn bright yellow, then green. Once green, the purple lilacs start to bloom. Can anyone help me? I live in wisconsin
Welcome, Chickeewi. Do you want to upload a photo to the forums here at http://awaytogarden.com/forum ? Might still be hard to tell as there are so many purple lilacs. The other ways to tell include bloom time (early among lilacs or later than some or int he middle of the lilac season?) and height of the plant and size of the flowerheads.
the leaves are already past the yellow stage, and now they are mostly green. the lilacs have not started to bloom, but I will try to take a picture,
Thank you for responding so quickly.
I did take a picture, have not gotten it off my camera yet. will do this week yet. thanks!
I went to try to post the pictures, but I am not allowed.
@Chickeewi: I assume you went to http://awaytogarden.com/forum and that you are registered (you became a member) and then logged in as that member name/password? Usually the only other reason photos cannot be uploaded is if they are *too large* — a smallish to medium jpg is plenty. A big file won’t work. If you still have trouble, email me at awaytogarden @ gmail dot com. Thank you.
Ok! I was able to finally post. The picture was too big.
Thanks for your help.
Guess no one knows what these are. thanks for trying!
Has anyone ever heard of lilacs in florida???
Welcome, Paulette. I don’t think you will find a lilac that’s happy in Florida, no, but if you go to this page about lilac care from Fox Hill (a lilac nursery) you can scroll down to see the most heat-tolerant kinds they sell that exist (that will handle Zones 8 and perhaps 9). I don’t know where you are (South Florida? That would be a stretch for any lilac). But generally speaking, no, they prefer not to be exposed to such heat. Probably best to accept that rather than suffer along with a suffering lilac.
Hi I value the information I receive from your site.
Wondering, in your opinion, what are the most fragrant lilacs? I am in northeastern Dutchess County, New York.
Thanks for your time, Dolores
Welcome, Dolores. I remember an article from Fine Gardening about this that you may wish to read. I have seen so many lists of which are most fragrant, I really do not know, but I will have to do some homework. I’d trust the famed Arnold Arboretum outside Boston and their PDF on the subject can be found from the link on this page (click “Woudl A Lilac by Any Other Name Smell As Sweet” halfway down the page and open the PDF with your Preview program or other PDF viewer).