Can any tell me what plant this is? We got it from a friend and we forgot what he said it was.
The DH says its a lilly. Uhm... no, I dont think so lillies are bulbs, right?
This is a bush. Hopefully I am right and it is not a lilly. If not I will never hear the end of it.. ( and he's right ALOT of the time - my turn :) )
It is definitely not a lily.
Possibly lilac......
The photo isn't really good enough for an id but I agree with ecrane. It's certainly not a lily.
The leaf kinda, sorta looks like a ficus, but Doss is right, it's a little hard to tell.
Ok heres a better shot, sort of.
I think lilac is it. that was one we had talked about.
What do you mean the leafy kind? Will I still get the big fragrant flowers?
Ooooo! I love lilac, reminds me of home.
and another
Whether you get good blooms or not may depend on which kind of lilac it is--they need some amount of winter chill to bloom well, and we don't always get enough chill for some varieties to bloom reliably. There are some low-chill varieties but you can't tell whether yours is one or not from the leaves.
It's going to depend on what lilac you have...if you have one of the Descanso hybrids, they're bred to flower with less winter chill. I would think in your area, it will vary depending on what kind of winter you have...colder winter is better for your lilac...so if it's a cold winter and you hate cold winters, just think how happy your lilac will be and what fragrantflowers you will have........smile.....
There you go....LOL...
Great minds think alike! LOL
blackthumbz--I just remembered your thread about your lemon tree, if the problems you're having with it were from frost/cold then I think you've got a good chance of having enough winter chill for your lilac to bloom. Bad news for the lemon, but good news for the lilac! If the damage on the lemon was caused by something else though it's hard to say.
Im pretty convinced it was frost. Im new at all this tree/garden/home owner stuff. But I know cold - LOL!
I just spent 20 years in South Florida, and now I'm in Northern CA.- it's cold to me out there right NOW :)
Seriously tho, I would LOVE to have a lilac, if this one does not bloom, I assume I can buy one from a nursery? Thanks for all of your great help and info
I knew it wasnt a Lilly - I snickered everytime the DH would say it. Like It's not very often that I am right about stuff like this. I need to gloat a bit!
Oh - can I propogate lilcas? I have a friend who has a lilca bush at her house, I took a few clippings and have them sitting in water, with some rooting compound. Do they have a chance?
You can get them from nurseries, but if this one doesn't bloom for you it means that you need to look for one of the Descanso hybrids. Nurseries are not all good about carrying just the low-chill varieties, so you need to do your homework ahead of time and know which cultivars are low-chill and make sure you get one of those.
You should be able to root them. I've never done it so I don't know what the best way is or when the best time of year is to try, but I'm suspect trying to root it in water is not the best method, I'd try it in potting mix instead (unless someone else who's done it before comes along and says water will work.)
Maybe I can try it boths ways. In water, and in soil. I have several clippings. (and I know where I can get more) I will be sure to keep in mind the need for the low-chill hybrid.
Thanks so much for your help!
Those leaves certainly look like Lilac leaves to me. We have a "white lilac" which has not bloomed yet. While our neighbors lilac, lilac started blooming a few weeks ago. Still looking forward to our lilac blooms.
My fingers are crossed that it's a lical and it blooms. And it's purplish/blueish. I loved these flowers when I was a kid in CT. Moved away years ago, to warmer climates and have not seen them. Now that I am in place that gets somewhat cold over the winter, I've rediscovered the lilacs.
I found another plant that I remember from childhood. Forsythia. Little yellow flowers on a woody stem. A Big bush asctually. I am going to try and root some of that as well.
Don't forget that some Lilacs, may take a few years in the ground before they decide to bloom. Your photos look like my Lilacs which are Descanso hybrids. Sending photo of my first white blossoms. Will take a photo of the foilage for you too.
WIB,
SW
How about 10 years? My neighbor's Descanso bloomed this last year for the first time ever....it did very well, beautifu, but 10 years is a long time to wait.
Yep, that's about right wcgypsy. They have only started blooming in the last couple of years and they've been in the ground for about 15 years.
It is a long time to wait.
I think it's worth it.
WIB,
SW
Blackthumbs, I don't know about the lilac, but I know you can root the forsythia in water, as I've done it. It didn't thrive in Santa Ana, but it survived and bloomed until I took it out. I've been in Orange County since I was 10 and I still miss the northern plants! Don't miss the snow though!
Carol
We were in Julian today and the lilacs are blooming...what surprises me is that there aren't tons of them planted there. If I lived there, where there are always lots of day visitors from San Diego and other surrounding areas, I would be growing lots and lots and lots of lilac to sell by the armload for people to take home. I do miss the lilacs back in Iowa where the DH is from...wow, armloads of lilacs to fill the house.
There is a Descanso hybrid called 'Excel' which will flower from a young age....I sold about 200 of them this year in 5g containers in full bloom....I don't think the Descanso's are as nice fragrant wise as some of the other varieties which need winter chill.
No, I haven't been that impressed with the few Descansos that I've sniffed....but I'm comparing that to the real thing, the 'good stuff' found in cold winter areas.
Hey, Andy...you still here? Did you get any of the Wendy's Wish in today by any chance? If not, do you know yet about tomorrow?
SingingWolf - very pretty blooms. I never knew lilacs came in white as well. I only remember the purplish sort from back home in CT.
OCCAROL - thanks for the info. I have mine sitting in water right now - hopefully soon to root.
Sherry, my sis and I drove up to a lilac farm near Newhall once - they had people that drove for hours every year to buy their flowers. You could move to the mountains and have a lilac farm! How hot does it get up there in the summer? LOL
Newhall? Horrible! Julian? Not so bad, you've got altitude. What I liked the idea of was a holly farm near us on Whidbey...it was beautiful and what a cool idea, growing holly for seasonal use.
Nah, I didn't mean Newhall. Holly sounds cool - and Whidbey certainly would be.
Sherry,
Call me at work tomorrow and I will know if they came in....got some good news about Hawaii too that I will share with you.
Leaves look pretty much like lilac but I don't think it is. Too many suckers. Lilacs sucker but farther from the plant. Too many stems here. Should it be a lilac, hard pruning one year will prevent it from flowering the next.
