Lilac in Texas

Bluestem · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 169 Location: N. Texas

I've been clearing an old homestead (1874). Numerous plants where the house was are interesting. Fruit trees, Iris, Roses and what I think is Lilac. I think of Lilac as a plant needing lots of care. The house was vacated before World War 2. This plant has not been cared for over 60 years. Is Lilac that hearty in Texas? Plants are in Jack county, one hour west of Ft. Worth.

patti webb · Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 8 Location: Uncertain,TEXAS

There are quite a few old lilacs around Texas...used to be a huge one just north of Mckinney on an old homestead, until the county bulldozed it.
Apparently, some of them are hardy through our heat.

bj taylor · Joined: 28 Nov 2004 Posts: 53 Location: joshua

i can't respond as to whether it is lilac or not. but, i am facinated by you working on an old homestead. the history & lives gone before are ...what? i simply don't know what adjective to apply.
lilacs are so very special to me. a dear friend had them lushly growing in her yard & the smell was spectacular. but, it certainly wasn't texas.
i tried lilacs here, because of her. i failed miserably. but that is certainly not to say they don't grow here. i was a newby gardener at the time. but i do admit, i have not seen lilacs here.
bj

Tricky Grama · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 2:44 pm Post subject: lilacs

It is my understanding that lilacs need a lot more freezing weather than TX can provide.
Patty

Liatris · Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Dallas, TX

Yes, lilac can survive on neglect even in north Texas. It could be lilac, and well worth preserving. The old-fashioned, "grandma's garden" type can hang on in conditions that a modern hybrid could never stand. You won't see such lucious blooms as those that they get in cooler climates, but if it has held on this long, you just may have a real gem there.

A few years ago I called numerous nurseries in Dallas looking for lilacs. Most just said, no we don't carry them. In one call, the person who answered the phone oh-so-patiently explained that many gardeners move to Texas from cooler climates and want to grow lilacs here, and it just won't work, so he could not recommend them. I was tempted to shout, "I didn't ask if you recommended them, I asked if you had any!" I knew that my mother-in-law had a lilac in her yard in Denton county, and she had been tending it for fifty years, considering it a durable and non-demanding plant.

If you are clearing the yard, keep in mind that although lilacs love sun, some afternoon shade will help it through the Texas heat.