For the first time our lilac bushes are not blooming, any one have an explanation? No spraying and other neighbors are full of flowers.
Lilacs not flowering
- Thread starter dafarmer
- Start date
Ours were terrible this year. Pretty sure late frosts affected bloom.
It definitely isn't from pruning, none in our area have been very full.
We had that freak blizzard in either march or April, I can’t remember. That’s my explanation. Our tulips were already popping up and it was a -5 wind chill one day.
Our tulips all flowered but their tips were brown. I suspect the same event did in the lilac and that’s why it’s not blooming.
It’s a damn shame. One of my small pleasures in life is clipping the lilacs to bring inside in the spring.
Our tulips all flowered but their tips were brown. I suspect the same event did in the lilac and that’s why it’s not blooming.
It’s a damn shame. One of my small pleasures in life is clipping the lilacs to bring inside in the spring.
We are in the same boat with both of those lilacs as well. I have another really smaller bush that had very little growth. I have some iris that get a boost from the dryer vent that look great but just a few feet away nothing blooming.i got my iris plants from my dad so I like to pick them for his grave on memorial Day but I won't have enough this year. Peonies are the only thing looking for for us.
Same here, as well as our antique pear tree. We won't have any pears this year, most likely due to the warmth of February (average daily high near 60 F) which caused buds to develop too early followed by the deep nip in March (15-16) which killed them.
We also didn't have any "shooters" on our maple trees or those weirdo things on the Siberian elms. Something good from all this is that the trees are extra leafy since they didn't have to spend any energy producing "fruit". I'm guessing walnuts and hickory nuts will also be sparse.
All of the wild black cherry trees around here were loaded with blooms, though, so, good news for the birds when their fruit ripens.
We also didn't have any "shooters" on our maple trees or those weirdo things on the Siberian elms. Something good from all this is that the trees are extra leafy since they didn't have to spend any energy producing "fruit". I'm guessing walnuts and hickory nuts will also be sparse.
All of the wild black cherry trees around here were loaded with blooms, though, so, good news for the birds when their fruit ripens.
Three of our lilacs bloomed last fall. I don’t know if powdery mildew last summer affected them or what.
Though Common Lilacs are very reliable and cold resistant, repeated, extended warm spells after winterization/vernalization, (and with warm maybe comes drier conditions) shuts down bud viability and stresses plant. The wrong sequence of temperature regimes during winter often occur regionally and the result is the neighborly sentiment that "hey mine aren't blooming either!"
It may pay to water-in until freeze up if a lilac is in a situation where it can be stressed (sandy spots, along concrete work, or hot, wind-swept areas). Lilacs need a lot of sun (6 hours plus during growing season for bud formation) and are weak bloomers in shade. They also like slightly alkaline soil, decent humus, and moderately moist soil without prolonged drought. There are lilac specific fertilizers too for good measure.
I notice my deep red-purple Charles Joly Lilac are blooming so I feel privileged.
A highly regarded French hybrid, 'Charles Joly' matures into a large, upright shrub with double magenta flowers that are extremely fragrant. This Lilac was given the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
It may pay to water-in until freeze up if a lilac is in a situation where it can be stressed (sandy spots, along concrete work, or hot, wind-swept areas). Lilacs need a lot of sun (6 hours plus during growing season for bud formation) and are weak bloomers in shade. They also like slightly alkaline soil, decent humus, and moderately moist soil without prolonged drought. There are lilac specific fertilizers too for good measure.
I notice my deep red-purple Charles Joly Lilac are blooming so I feel privileged.
A highly regarded French hybrid, 'Charles Joly' matures into a large, upright shrub with double magenta flowers that are extremely fragrant. This Lilac was given the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Who knows, zero pears on the north side of house, pears on the south sloping lawn. I dont have lilacs, cherry bushes bloomed much shorter than normal.
It's fulfillment of the prophesy! Iowa State will win a National Championship within the next year!
