Last April and May, I made several trips down the east side of the Sierras and one north to Cedarville and Alturas. Everywhere I went huge hedges of lilacs were in bloom. In Cedarville and Sierraville, most of the old lilacs were purple and white varieties of common lilac. Along Hwy 395 at Topaz Lake there are old plants of several unusual lilac varieties. Along the Walker River, lilacs that survived the 1997 floods are now abandoned and thriving. In Truckee we have many old and happy lilac survivors, especially on River Street.

Common lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are native to southeastern Europe. They have been cultivated for over 500 years. French botanical fanciers began collecting and hybridizing these lilacs in the 1600’s with other lilacs found in Afghanistan and high elevation Middle Eastern countries. Lilac plants were brought by ship to Canada as early as 1650. They were planted on Michigan’s Mackinaw Island shortly after that. These plants are still alive and have stems more than 20 inches in diameter. Colonists brought starts of their favorite plants from Europe and carried them by wagon all over the west.

In the early 1800’s, plant collectors visited China, Tibet, Japan and Korea and discovered many more lilac species. There are now 23 recognized species and over 2000 named cultivars.

Lilacs are extremely hardy as long as they are planted in the correct location. They thrive in well-drained, slightly alkaline soil. They need to have full sun at least 2/3rds of the day for optimum performance. It is advisable to choose a location, which is slightly protected so that the buds don’t freeze as they are opening.

In locations with higher snowfall amounts, lilacs should be planted in areas protected from snow being blown on to them or sliding from roofs. They should be staked and tied up with plastic tree tape in October. This is important because flower buds are formed the previous season and if the buds are crushed by snow, there will be no blooms.

Since common lilacs are most often found in limestone soils in their native habitat, it is beneficial to add lime once a year here. Fertilization should take place in early summer with a bloom fertilizer, which is low in nitrogen such as Fox Farm or Dr. Earth. After lilacs are well established, they survive with very little care other than pruning, which is best done right after they bloom.

Some exceptional varieties to look for are ‘Primrose’ (yellow),’Monge’ (dark purple), ‘Sensation’ (magenta with white edge) and ‘Pocahontas’ (a magenta pink).