Beginner Gardening: lilac cutting has grown buds but no roots, 1 by NancyGroutsis

NancyGroutsis wrote:
In early autumn a storm knocked down a neighbor's lilac tree. I had often admired its purple blooms, so I took a 15" cutting and planted it in the ground next to my home foundation. The healthy green leaves dropped off in a few days and it did look dead but I kept watering it. When I checked the cutting a few weeks ago I noticed it had about ten 1/3" green buds.

Today I transplanted the cutting to a sunnier location because it only got one hour of sunlight per day and when it's time for the new tree to grow leaves in spring I wanted it to be firmly rooted. Anyway, I noticed that the cutting had no roots at all, and I was wondering if it's normal for tree cuttings to grow buds first then grow roots. The lilac is obviously getting adequate moisture and nutrients, or else it couldn't have grow buds in autumn. But I'm wondering if the lack of roots forebodes a winter death.

The original lilac tree was 20 ft. tall, but now only a 4-foot offshoot remains since the main trunk was destroyed. It used to be covered in dark purple flowers for one month in late spring/early summer, and the attached picture is a photoshopped version of another (pink) neighborhood lilac because I don't have a photo of the purple parent tree. It was growing in a part sun location (morning and afternoon sun) protected from the wind. Today, I transplanted the cutting in a similar location in zone 5b.

DoGooder