of sorts by depriving it of water for a few months. This will encourage it to produce the buds over this simulated "Winter" period.

The mild climate Lilac still needs tons of sun and regular watering. The first three years after planting the young Lilac your main concern is to get it established and that requires regular watering. Once that happens and it is a happy camper you'll be able to force it into a dormancy state if you need to. It will go into a natural dormancy in cooler areas. In areas similar to the climate of southern California where there is no winter to speak of, this process of depriving it of water should begin in September until late February or early March when the buds should start to swell. If there is not much in the way of rain do water it a bit or it may die completely before it blooms.

At the tail end of winter the Lilac should get a bit of fertilizer. Either bone meal, blood meal or an organic type would be best but if you must there are commercial brands you could use. Relatively soon after you start to water it again it should bloom. Only prune the Lilac directly after it blooms to encourage bushiness and so you don't cut off the blooms for next season.

The cultivars you will want to look for are known as the Descanso Hybrids developed mostly in southern California.

"Angel White" has a white blossom with a mild scent growing on the upper branches. It grows 8-10 feet high and is very bushy.

"Lavender Lady" grows 8-10 as well with flowers in a lavender color but the fragrance is much stronger.

"California Rose", a vigorous growing bush with profuse flowering, also 8-10 feet high, with mildly scent medium pink flowers.

"Sylvia Beauty" grows a bit bigger at 10-12 feet high with slightly more open pink flowers.

"F.K. Smith" grows very much like "Lavender Lady" but the blossoms are a lighter color.

"Blue Skies" is a heavy blooming 8 foot high shrub and will bloom without forcing dormancy. Lavender flowers are highly fragrant.

"Esther Staley" (S. hyacinthiflora) is a rounded shape 8 foot high shrub with richly scented, pure pink blossoms.

"Excel" (S. hyacinthiflora) blooms like mad as early as late February or early March. Flowers are a light purple and nicely fragrant.

Now that these lovely mild climate Lilacs are available to the gardeners outside the northern United States, there will no longer be a need for envy. That is to say they won't envy the northerner surrounded by Lilacs because they'll have their own. We northerners will still be whining about the cold weather. Oh, well. We can't have everything.

Learn more about this author, Glory Lennon.
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