Maybe it's his way of thanking you for giving them to him. You know, praising them.

Forget it. I think you're being too sensitive. Say "You're very welcome" and then ignore it.

I would shower him with obnoxious puns like "I am glad you lilac them!" Or "They don't seem to be lilac-ing anything!" Until he stops...

What makes you think that he is coming over just to comment on your lilacs?

For optimum results lilacs need fertile soils with a high organic content and regular mulching. If a soil is not naturally fertile it should in fact be fertilized to provide this condition. Sample and test your soil or have it tested by a lab to see what your situation may be. It could perfectly well be that he has managed to provide a more suitable level of fertility and is getting a greater response for that reason.

My neighbor sees herself in competition with me, particularly with roses, and all I say is "That's great!", because I don't care whose roses/lilacs/ferns/whatever are bigger. Some people make a competition of everything.

Genus envy?

I think you should just look on it as a victory, you have interested him in gardening. Be happy!

I think he's trying to thank you but doesn't know when to shut up. Maybe try changing the subject.

You certainly have interesting neighbors...

Embo, you are incorrigible.

I would be responding something like, "That's so great...I'm so glad I gave them to you" and "Remember when you used to make fun of me for fencing my plants and now look at you, doing it too!" and "It truly warms my heart that you have been enjoying the plants I gave you. Would you like any more?"

lets see if the fert accumulation in z5 ... kills the plants with ground freeze and all ...

plants need to be slowing down in fall .. toward total shutdown in november ...if they are in lush vegetative growth instead of slowing down.. there MIGHT be severe damage in winter ...

is this the xmas tree dude ... if so ... be happy you have something pleasant to talk about ...

ken

Seasonal growth is regulated by things like day/night length and night temperatures. Northern adapted plants aren't going to explode into ill timed lush sappy growth merely because they were fertilized in autumn.

In fact the photoperiod (length of days and nights) is more of driver than anything else, because it is constant (every August 12 or February 4 is the same length.) Plants measure the dark period. That's why you can screw up an entire crop of Poinsettia by walking into the greenhouse in the middle of the night and turning the light on, even if only for a minute.

I'm going out to paint our new picket fence this morning. I've never painted anything in my life, ever, so this should be interesting. I'm sure our neighbor will come over and say hello while I'm out there. He told me the exact paint to get and he'll want to check on how I'm doing. He comes over anytime we're out, and not in an annoying way. He's a nice guy, and we'd have been lost without him for the last 10+ years. His vast knowledge about all things construction, his willingness to offer help when not being asked, he's a good person and dh and I like him very much.

Having said that he really is being competitive, I'm not imagining it. It's all lighthearted though. He comes over and walks around and looks at all my lilacs which are small, and then he says how large his have grown.

My lilacs have filled out more than they've grown taller They have grown taller don't get me wrong, about 6 inches taller, but they have filled in more than anything else.

Which particular environmental factor(s) regulates them varies with the plant species. And what I've read is that when it is something like hours of daylight or hours of darkness it will (always?) be either one or the other.

He comes over and walks around and looks at all my lilacs which are small, and then he says how large his have grown.

My lilacs have filled out more than they've grown taller They have grown taller don't get me wrong, about 6 inches taller, but they have filled in more than anything else.

So even though his is large yours is at least thick.

Yes, I guess there's at least that. lol I believe I know which lilac he has that grew so tall. It was one of the biggest lilacs I had, but it had a lot of leaf damage from being boxed so I was spooked and (stupidly) gave it to him.

He came over this weekend to talk about the fence, while we were out in the backyard, but he never brought up the lilacs. I guess he made his point, his lilacs are bigger.

Lol, I make fun of the neighbors behind me because of how they prune their abelias............Not to mention their row of silver maples which drop branches into each other............ Is every one of your neighbors a fruitcake?

Having seen your Abelia question on another thread, Logan, I wonder what the neighbour's are thinking about your pruning techniques? Each to their own.

Well, they lopsidedly shear them............. At least that wasn't my intention! The natural form of abelia is typically much more beautiful.