Ok, Lilacs in the desert? (Tucson: home, live in, garden)

[Mike_]

I was walking around the other day and I swear I was smelling Lilacs. They don't look like the lilacs I am used to in NH. Although I am surprised to see them I have read that they grow wild here in the desert.

Anyone grow them in your yard? We are thinking of growing them in large planters. Do they only bloom during certain parts of the year? I am not really looking for advise on how to grow them (I will post in the gardening section or talk to a local nursery down the road), just do you grow them and how do they do for you?

Thanks

[Bummer]

I doubt if they're the same Lilacs, Mike.

However, wander around the desert and you'll be amazed at the number of plants that not only survive but literally thrive in spite of the brutal conditions.

Mother Nature is incredible.

[sandstorm6]

What color were they? Jasmine grows well here if you water it - and it smells heavenly when it blooms. It does best with morning sun and afternoon shade. I haven't seen lilacs here but I miss them. And welcome to Tucson, Mike.

p.s. The Tucson Botanical Garden offers a class on gardening for newcomers. It's also a great place to wander around and get ideas.

[coatimundi]

I've seen them in peoples yards, mainly in the suburbs. Was that where it was?
I can't imagine them surviving wild in the Sonoran Desert. We may be the wettest desert in the world, but I still don't think we get enough rain for them. I'm sure, in a good, wet spring (last spring was fantastic) one of them would be able to sprout, but I can't see that it would have lasted very long.
I was just in Omaha and, at their botanical gardens, they were very much in bloom. Very, very pretty and sweet smelling.

[Mike_]

I did do some research, nothing that screams proof positive but, apparently there are a couple species of lilacs that do live in the desert. Interesting enough one is called a desert lilac....

[Marcy1210]

Surprisingly, we had about six huge lilac bushes at our home in Colorado at 9200 ft. We had them in raised beds on the SW side of the house, up against the concrete foundation, so it was a micro-climate that ran about 15 degrees warmer than the ambient air temps. We planted them in 1984. They bloomed every May (late compared to their lower elevation kin), but they would do especially well after a very wet, snowy Spring. They do need lots of water.

I would also have thought the heat here would hinder their growth. I didn't think they did well in heat or with a lack of water. We didn't have gutters on the two sections of roof that were above our bushes, and the rains and snow melt would just pour down on them.

To remind me of my lilacs, my son got me a Yankee Candle, Lilac Blossoms, for Mother's Day.

[Mike_]

I get Helena the Lilac candles from Yankee as well, she loves Lilacs...something she will miss so, I am trying to find some that will grow here.

[Marcy1210]

I think that would be really neat to have lilacs here...but citrus trees have beautifully fragrant blossoms, too, and that's something you don't have in cooler, northern climes.

[William D Reed]

I have had Lilacs here for about 7 years. They didn't grow as large as I would like them too. I actually had a white one that I brought from Volgagrad Russsia in a bread bag in my suit case when it was a mere sprout. The others I bought from Spring Hill Nursery back east. Unfortunatel they do need a lot of care here in Tucson. Four summers ago I had a young man care for my garden while I was on vacation and he just happened to skip watering them for a couple of days during our 110 degree days because the lawn looked good and he had things to do. I lost my white one and three others for lack of water. The rest seemed to thrive until this spring, when my best and largest one didn't even produce leaves. I also lost two more this summer and the horticulturists from 3 different nurseries could not tell me the cause. I have three of my original 9 left and have just purchased 3 more from a nursery here in Tucson. Two are Chinese and one is Persian. They are supposed to be acclimated to Tucson and suitable to grow here. Just before writing this, I also purchased the Beauty of Moscow lilac on line from a nursery in Nebraska. It is also suitable for growing here but recommended for zones 3-7. I'm too stubborn to give up on growing them as I have had success with everything else that is not supposed to grow here. I will add that I kept my original 9 in large pots for the first 3 years and they did beautifully. I am assuming that something in my soil killed my others except the ones that didn't get water at critical times.

[wit-nit]

It's not cold enough for regular lilacs to grow successfully in the AZ desert, but there is one special variety that is suited for the area and it's called the "Persian Lilac". Here's a newspaper article talking about it...
Which lilacs bloom best in the desert