Growing Lilac (Syringea vulgaris) in Southern California
Question from Rachel:
First things first: Pat, I asked you a question about fruit trees a while ago, and you sent the most thoughtful, detailed message with a host of helpful suggestions, including a recommendation for Bearss lime trees. I managed to find one–Bearss were everywhere, but only dwarf varieties, so finding a full-sized tree took some time. It is a phenomenal tree: insanely productive and very sweet limes. Thank you!
On to the lilac tree/bush: I bought a white lilac plant a few years ago, and at the time it was exploding in flowers. I planted it in a corner of my garden where it flourished for 2 years (very green and leafy) but it never created a single blossom. I did some online research and read that in my zone (23) lilacs should do quite well, but that they needed a lot of sun. So I moved the lilac to the center of the backyard. It has not done well. Many of the leaves are looking crispy and burnt at the ends, and while the plant is covered in little green buds, they frequently turn brown and flake away. Am I not watering enough? Should I move the lilac back into the shade? Or should I forgo lilacs altogether?
Answer from Pat:
Many folks who grew up in cool-season climates and moved to Southern California wish they could grow lilac (Syringea vulgaris) here. If one chooses a low-chill variety, such as ‘Lavender Lady’ or ‘Alba’ that are adapted to growing in a Mediterranean climate, it is possible to grow lilac successfully and bring it into bloom in Southern California, but you need to live in Zone 22 (the Los Angeles Basin is Zone 22) or in a zone of even colder winter temperatures than that, such as Zone 21. Lilac blooms beautifully in Julian, for example, and is very fragrant there. In hot interior climates it’s better to grow lilac in part shade and not full sun, so I don’t think sun or shade was the cause of your lilac not blooming. I think it was temperature. Lilac is actually pretty well adapted to our soil since it prefers soil that is slightly alkaline and if you have acid soil you should add a little Dolomitic lime to it to make it sweeter. Lilac also needs moist soil and regular irrigation. It is not drought-resistant.
One must cut lilac back after bloom or pick all the blooms with long stems on them leaving some buds for new growth in order to create more blooming wood for the following year. “Prune after bloom never before” is the rule with lilac. (If you have a gardener who regularly prunes everything in sight that’s why your plant didn’t bloom because he cut off all the blooming wood.) However, the main reason eastern lilac fails to bloom in mild frost-free climates is because the plants didn’t get enough winter chill. You live in Zone 23 which is a mild coastal zone good for avocados your garden simply does not have enough winter chill to successfully make lilac bloom, except in a cold pocket, or microclimate if you have such a spot. One of my daughters lives in Zone 23 and had three lovely lilacs in her garden. They bloomed for 3 years but where not very fragrant, then stopped blooming last year and this year they died. I do not consider this a good recommendation for a plant to grow here in Southern California.
Even when lilac does bloom the fragrance is not as good as if it were growing in a climate with adequate winter chill. Even without winter chill some folks have had success forcing their plants to bloom by withholding water in fall. (Usually lilacs need regular irrigation, but fall drought can force lavender to make buds for spring bloom.) Because of all these difficulties I don’t recommend lilac as a wise choice for local gardens unless you live in a place like the San Gabriel Valley or Ramona where winter frosts are a common occurrence.
I suggest you look around for something to grow that will please you as much or more than lilac. My suggestion is to build a pergola this fall and plant Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis ‘Cooke’s Special’) bare root in January. Feed it, water it well for the first three years, and prune and train it carefully as I describe in my book. Every February and March, you will have masses of purple bloom (almost the same shade and shape as lilac) fragrance to die for, and eventually armloads of woody boughs covered with blooms to bring into the house. Once established and trained, wisteria is very drought-resistant. It also attracts birds.
Thank you so much for telling me about your prolific ‘Bearss’ lime tree. Delighted to know my advice helped.
Hi!
I live in the south of Calexico,California (just in the border with Mexico)I think is zone 13, a few months ago I planted a Lilac California Rose but is not growing much. This spring started to have new leaves and new plants come from around the older ones. What do you think I need to do?
The Descanso hybrid lilac ‘California Rose’ is a pink variety adapted to growing in Mediterranean climates—Sunset Zones 18-22. This does not include the Southwest desert climate in which you live. If it is not growing well, this is the main reason. There is no variety of lilac that is strongly recommended for Zone 13. However, common lilac (S. vulgaris) can be grown there, though with difficulty. Also, growing lilacs takes some patience.
Here is my advice to you: Was your plant grafted? Or is it on its own roots? If you do not know, find out!—(Look at the original plant to find the graft and also look at the label or inquire from the nursery where you got it.) If grafted, those growths coming from the ground may be coming from below the graft and sapping its energy. Grafted varieties often make a lot of suckers. If NOT grafted, let them grow! But if your plant was grafted, be sure to cut out those suckers now IF they are coming from below the graft because they are sapping the strength of your ‘California Rose’ variety and will overwhelm it and eventually kill it. Lilac plants may not bloom for two to five years. Lilacs need little fertilizer, but where you live there may be nothing in the soil, so give it a feeding now with organic fertilizer high in phosphorus for bloom. (Overfeeding lilac with nitrogen can make the plant grow instead of blooming.) I hope you added compost to the ground when you planted your lilac, but now you could mulch on top with compost. Beginning now in spring and continuing through summer keep the plant adequately watered, especially during hot weather, but make sure drainage is good. Then let the plant dry out in fall (October, November, and December) to encourage dormancy. Mainly we gardeners need to admit to ourselves that not all plants will grow well in all places.
When will the lilacs bloom this year in Julian?
Usually lilac’s bloom in Julian in mid-April. I was up there once with friends and we stopped to photograph a large lilac bush. We asked permission first from the owner of the house, an elderly woman who was sitting on her porch. “Would you like some?” she asked. “If so, cut them with long enough stems and hammer the stems when you get home before putting them into water. I have to cut them or they don’t bloom the following year, and I can’t keep up with it any more. So help yourself and take all you want!” My friend had come armed with clippers so she must have had a similar experience before.
Hello, Im from the east coast. A lovely town called Plymouth, Ma. Our house was built in 1870. We had beautiful lilacs. We now live in Fallbrook, Ca. and would love to grow them. Do you think we’ll have Much Appreciation!
Lilacs that are adapted to living in Southern California do well in Fallbrook. As a start try ‘Lavender Lady’.
hello i have a question
my Best friend its getting married in november and she loves lilac its her favorite flower is there anywhere in the US that i may find some lilac ??
thank you
Most lilac shrubs bloom only in spring. However, “Proven Winners” has developed a new “day-length neutral” lilac that blooms from spring to fall. It could be that an enterprising flower-grower is growing this new lilac for cut flowers. If so you might be able to purchase lilac as a cut flower in November. Before the development of the “day-neutral” lilac plants mentioned above, no lilac was available in the northern Hemisphere during autumn unless it was grown inside a “Climatron”, a building that simulates climates at any time of year required. In Holland bulbs such as tulips are brought into bloom at any time of year inside a Climatron and the flowers are sold to the cut-flower industry. Lilac would not be economically viable to grow this way since there would be no flowers during winter. The only other way that you might be able to find lilac in fall instead of spring would be if it were shipped from South America. In South America November is the same as February here. However, lilac usually blooms in April with the earliest blooms possible in March and then only if the weather is warm enough in March.
Hi I live in Diamond Bar & would love to have Lilacs in my garden. I used to have about 8 bushes in my Washington Syate home & am missing it here. Will they grow in my area & if so what should I get? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Your local nursery in Diamond Bar should be able to provide you with Descanso Hybrid lilac trees that are adapted to growing in mild climates such as we have here in Southern California. Varieties to look for include ‘Lavender Lady’; ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘Blue Boy’,which are both blue; ‘Chiffon’, which is lavender and ‘Forrest K. Smith’—light lavender; ‘Sylvan Beauty’, which is rose lavender; and ‘White Angel’, which obviously is white. All these thrive in Sunset zones 18 to 22 and thus should grow well in Diamond Bar, given good care.
I live in Simi Valley CA (not sure what zone that is) and i would like to put lilacs behind our pool area? Will they grow there (sun) and if so what kind???
The Simi Valley is in Sunset Zone 18, which is classified as an interior climate, more influenced by the continental air mass than by the ocean. Proximity to a swimming pool might not be the best location for lilac since part shade might give you better luck and swimming pools give off reflection thus creating a special condition in which certain plants thrive and others do not. However, you could try them in that area by building an overhead structure to provide partial shade for them during the hottest time of the day. If well and artistically designed, and covered with 50% shade cloth overhead or 50% lath going in north-south direction (so shade moves as the sun moves from east to west) could be a special design feature adding interest to your garden. Descanso Hybrids, including ‘Lavender Lady’, ‘Blue Skies’, ‘Blue Boy’, ‘Chiffon’, ‘Forrest K. Smith’, ‘Sylvan Beauty’, ‘White Angel’ and others do well in Zone 18.
Hi Pat, l bought a California rose lilac from Costco almost 10 year,it never give flowers and only state in under 4 feet tall,what will be the problem. I am living in Monterey Park, CA. Please help. Thank you.
It sounds as if you planted your lilac near a lawn. Lilac plants that get too much water in fall and winter when they should be dormant, won’t bloom.
Hi Pat. I was doing some online research about lilacs when I came across your site. I read with great interest your reply to Rachel 3 years ago and the comments and replies since. We live in the Los Angeles basin and was gifted a Lavender Lady from Descanso gardens 3 or 4 years ago. It is growing in a 3 ft tall pot, 7-9 hrs of sun. I keep the suckers pinched off and we get beautiful foliage. In all the time we’ve owned it, it has only flowered once and only a couple of sprigs. I feel it is due to one of two reasons. Either it isn’t getting the chill it requires or the soil isn’t alkaline enough. Your thoughts please. Thank you
My thoughts are that you need to plant it in the ground in an appropriate spot. Lilacs are not adapted to growing in containers. If foliage is beautiful, the soil may be alkaline enough due to irrigation water, which is alkaline here. If it is growing in a sheltered spot near the wall of your house or under an overhang, most likely there is not enough winter chill.
Pat, I live in Oceanside California and need a low growing plant that will keep dogs and cats off my lawn. Lavender works well near the house but is to large a plant to grow around the edges of the walk. Is Creeping Philox a choice? How high does it grow if so?
Cats and dogs have no problem stepping onto, through or over creeping phlox so it will not keep animals off a lawn. The best barrier plants for keeping animals and/or people off any area where you don’t want them are plants with spines, prickles, or thorns, such as barrel cactus or crown of thorns, but neither of these need as much water as a lawn requires. Choices adapted to normal irrigation include purple berberis (Berbers thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’), Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’, or Rosa ‘Frau Dagman Hastrup. Another choice is dwarf holly with thorns clipped as a hedge. Ilex vomitoria ’Nana” is a dwarf holly that makes a highly attractive and densely-foliaged clipped hedge with small leaves, but it has no thorns.
Of all these, the smallest plant is most likely crown of thorns. Coleus canina is a plant without thorns that is said to be hated by cats. Additionally, covering all bare ground with a mulch of liquidambar seed pods, which are shaped like thorny balls and fall off the trees in autumn, will for sure keep cats out of flowerbeds and probably will keep dogs out too, once they notice what they are.
Hi Pat. I plan to plant “Proven Winners’ Reblooming Lilac” in Temecula, Southern California. I am not sure what zone it is and also worried this zone is not enough cold to make lilac bloom. How do you think about this, Pat? Could you please give me some suggest?
Living in Temecula means you are most likely in Sunset Zone 18. You will have success growing lilac if you plant one of the Descanso Hybrids, which were developed especially for our mild winters. They do well in Zones 18 to 22. The Proven Winner’s variety you wanted to grow thrives in climates with colder winters. Descanso Hybrid varieties include ‘Lavender Lady’, ‘Blue Skies’, ‘Blue Boy’, or if you want white then choose ‘Angel White’. In gardening it’s always best to stick with the tried and true.
I live in Sierra Madre, CA and was very happy with a lilac bush that came with the house we bought over ten years ago. I am not much of a gardener and the gardeners we have employed over the years have been more like yard janitors and have not done much more than rake oak leaves of which we have plenty. The lilac was flowered and sprouted leaves not always in unison and I have not cut it which after reading the above, realize was a mistake. We finally had some good rain and I became aware that there are no leaves or flowers now and it is mid March! Has it died? Is it possibly dormant? Might there be anything I can do? I’m hoping it is not too late to save it. I am determined to develop a green thumb of sorts. I have been composting and applied a bit now and then but probably not enough. What can I do? It was struggling along for over ten years… didn’t realize it needed help. We are at the top of the canyon and it is in partial shade but mostly sun. Is there a resuscitation program I can do?
Your explanation of what happened to your lilac is not very clear. I cannot tell you if it is dead but it probably is. The best pruning you can do on lilac is to cut off the flowers once it is blooming and arrange them in the house. Do not over-prune. If your lilac is dead I suggest you go to the Los Angeles Arboretum and see the ones that are growing there. they might even be able to sell you one of the lilacs the the arboretum has developed for blooming in our mild climate. Try to purchase one of my organic books: Pat Welsh’s Southern California Organic Gardening Month-by-Month. Look on Amazon. It is also available online. Read that book month-by-month throughout the year and you will literally learn all you need to know about gardening in Southern California. If you cannot find the organic edition, earlier editions are also very helpful. Purchase Pat Welsh’s Southern California Gardening Month-by-Month, Completely Revised and Updated. It is a tragedy that my publisher has stopped printing my book and they kept the copy rights so I cannot re-write it.
You should be able to find a good lilac bush of the right variety for here, such as ‘Lavender Lady’ at any good nursery. Then plant it and follow the directions I have already given in my blog for care and pruning.
Hi Pat!
We live in Agoura Hills (in the Santa Monica mountains so we get frost in the winter and extra heat in the summer) and have 2 lilacs bushes in our front yard. They are almost 7 feet tall and only bloom a few sprigs in the Spring – which I cut and bring inside for my vases. I think they need to be pruned way back. When is a good time to prune? And how far down can I cut them back? We are from Chicago to originally so happy to have lilacs that remind me of home. Thank you!
I suggest you try growing ‘Lavender Lady’ lilac or any other ‘Descanso Hybrid”. These are bred for growing and blooming here. Though you get frost, your climate is not cold enough for east-coast type lilac. ‘Lavender Lady’ or similar variety should give you more bloom. Other tips include that soil should not be acid. Just normal local soil is usually fine, in other words alkaline. Usually it is not necessary to add lime for lilac here in Southern California because our water is alkaline. Prune after bloom for cut flowers, as you did, but also at the same time, cut back other long shoots that have not bloomed. This will encourage more fresh growth that will bloom the following year.
I live in Camarillo California – Ventura County. I would love to grow lilac bushes but not sure if they will grow and bloom. Can you please offer suggestions
What zone is Camarillo Ca? Will lilacs and hydragenias grow and bloom here
I suggest you plant one of the several varieties of lilac, such as ‘Lavender Lady’ especially developed for growing in Southern California. Please see the suggestions I have provided on this website for other readers. If you follow the rules and suggestions provided in Sunset Western Garden Book and my Southern California Month-by-Mongth books, there is no reason that you cannot also have success.
I live in Hemet where it is very hot in the summer and pretty warn in the winter. Its actually been in the 80’s and its January. We have lived in the same house for 38 years. My lilac bush was here when we bought the house. So its at least 38 years old. It always had lots of flowers but lately only a couple blooms. Has it gotten to old? If that is the problem is there anything I can do to make it bloom? I don’t know what kind it is.
It is important to prune lilac while it’s in bloom by cutting flowering branches to use as cut flowers in the house. You most likely know this already. I fear that you have a variety that needs winter chill in order to bloom. Global warming is causing many flowering plants to stop blooming altogether or bloom at the wrong time of year due to the change in temperature. Along the coast many flowering plants are blooming 3 months early and deciduous plants are failing to drop leaves when they should. Trees, such as Torrey pines are even growing when they should be slowing down and putting on fresh needles when they should be dropping old ones.
How difficult is it grow lilac trees here? Or vines? would appreciates pointers also as to the difference between the two.
We have an irrigated area that only gets noon-afternoon sun, another currently area that gets morning-noon sun.
Thank you for your time and service to the community.
Any species or variety of lilac can be grown in Zone 9 but all need regular water. Morning sun might be preferable to afternoon sun which in your climate zone might be too hot. Of course both we and our plants are now subject to global warming and climate change, so when I say your climate is okay now I am not predicting what it might be like in future.
I have never heard of a lilac vine, only lilac bushes. Perhaps you are referring to another plant altogether. If so you can write to me again.
I appreciate your thanking me. As you may realize I do this blog as a public service and also have a partner, a Master Gardener in Orange County who also works as a volunteer. He does the technical side.
Hi Pat! I’ve enjoyed reading all these questions and your answers. Now I have one for you. We just bought an 80 acre ranch in the microclimate of Santa Ysabel just miles form Julian ,Ca I think I can grow lilac there as there is a large lilac farm right around the corner from us. But Where to start?!? How do I know which varieties? Where is the best place to get the plants? I’ve been in the retail flower business for 25 years and ready to check out the other side of things. I’m excited but a bit nervous. Any advice you could offer would be much appreciated.
You are in luck. Lilac (Syringea vulgaris) easy to grow in Julian, and also thrives in Santa Isabel. You do not need to grow the special varieties developed for Mediterranean climates. Instead, choose hardy varieties, such as ‘President Lincoln’ (Wedgewood blue) or ‘Alba’, a very old white lilac with fragrance that is legendary.
There are literally hundreds of varieties to choose from. You asked me where to begin: I suggest you visit the lilac farm near your property and learn all you can from them. Also consult the Farm Advisor and Agricultural Extension in your area. See if you can obtain a copy of “Lilacs” by Michelle Le Strange, UC Master Gardener Advisor, Tulare Kings County. Ask the farm near you if there are other good reference books on lilac well-suited to your location.
Hi Pat!
I planted some bareroot lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) in a pot and they are growing very very slowly with only green leaves ~2 years. I’m new to gardening so I’m always hesitant to put it in ground since I have trouble finding a spot for them in my zone 9b (central California). After reading about how unsuccessful growing lilacs here in California are, I have given up on them but I noticed you suggested Wisteria. I love Wisteria! but ruled growing it because I hear it’s extremely invasive. We don’t want it ruining our house (foundation, plumbing, walls, driveway, etc). Is that true? Will they make their way to the house if planted a few feet away? Is it necessary to plant them in a large pot in the ground to contain the invasive roots? Thank you in advance for taking the time and for your knowledge!
Lilacs do not grow well in pots. Find a spot in the ground. One of my daughters grew beautiful lilacs on the south side of her home with a hedge to the south of that.
If you have side yards this can work and is easy.
Re: Wisteria: No wisteria will survive or do well in a pot. The invasive problems are only caused by not cutting off the seed capsules. If you remove the seed capsules you won’t have inferior varieties sprouting in your yard where you don’t want them. Also I have had wisterias growing right next to my house for years and never had a problem with the roots harming the foundations of my home. Wisterias will not harm your foundations.