Florence, thanks so much for sharing the picture! How beautiful. I have 2 lilac bushes that only produce a very few flowers. What do you do to get so many blooms?

I don't do much but they probably use some of the alfalfa that I put on my roses.
I do cut back 1/3 of the bush each year.

I love to smell these beauties.

Florence

I'll throw in a pic of one of my container lilacs that was in bloom last year too! It was just too cold Saturday and Sunday and I need something to look forward to... This is James McFarlane and I've had in its permanent container for almost 11 years. I feed it some Osmocote 14-14-14, although I had heard recommendations to give them a little phosphorous boost in the summer when they are setting the next year's buds, so I try to do that too. You also need to make sure its soil is either neutral or slightly alkaline and as Florence noted, pruning 1/3rd each year - particularly on older ones, helps to rejuvenate it and keep the blooms going. They like lots of sun (mine gets about 6 - 8 hours in summer on my hi-rise covered balcony) and when in bloom, boy do my lilacs waft up a storm!

{{gwi:289}}

That is a great picture---I can see that all you have to do is open those sliding glass doors and take a good long whiff.
That is amazing---growing a lilac bush in a container.

My lilacs are the old-fashioned ones and I can't imagine one of those in a pot.

I have a white lilac that must be at least 10 ft. tall---(didn't prune it for a couple of years)
Our yard has gotten pretty much out of hand --too many surgeries--hopefully this year will be better.
I'm going to check at my son's garden center ---he has some nice hybrid lilacs.

Florence

Florence - the old-fashioned ones (I'm thinking you mean Syringa vulgaris) can be grown in containers too if they start out in one as a baby! I bought both my lilacs as 2 gallon, 18" tall plants.

That earlier pic was of "James McFarlane" (Syringa prestonia). I also have a "Miss Kim" (Syringa patula - below). I only bought those because they happened to be on sale at the nurseries I visited and I decided to try them. Didn't see any of the other types other than "President Grevy", which is a Syringa vulgaris, for sale at the time.

What's good about my 2 is that they are later bloomers and have a lesser chance of getting blasted by late frosts - something that inpacts container shrubs more than ground ones since the container soil tends to warm faster than the ground in spring.

Mmmmm. Lilacs. Better take my nap.