There are so many different types of lilacs but from the description of a large woody looking bush it is probably a French lilac. Second choice is a Persian lilac. The first needs cooler winter temperatures. The second needs less but it is also shorter. I would suggest looking around your area to see if there are any in your location. If nothing else you can experiment with growing one. The one that came with this house is at least 15 ft tall.

Miss Kim is sold as a Korean lilac that in some areas will bloom twice in a year. Has done that one year for me and I have had mine since 1993. You can purchase either as a tree or as a shrub.

Someone who is dreaming of an old fashioned lilac will, I think, be disappointed with 'Miss Kim'. If you want a huge, deeply fragrant purple, you probably want the old 'Ludwig Spaeth'.

The smartest thing is go to a local garden center (not big box) and have this discussion. They know what will grow well and can advise you as to species as there are a lot of hybrids to offer a home owner.

Lilacs grow well here, in zone 6b. We have neutral to alkaline soil. They did very poorly at our previous home (zone 7a and acid soil).

Some lilacs have fragrance, others have none. The best way to be 100% sure of getting a nicely scented bush is to visit the garden centers when they are in bloom.

Edited to add this link:

Enter zip code and this website tells your growing zone

My Favorite Gardener

We have a Miss Kim lilac where I am currently sheltering, in upstate NY. When we bought it a couple of years ago, it was late in the season and the last, little scraggly lilac at the garden store. It blossoms once a year, later than our neighbors' dark lilacs. It survived having the yard torn up during renovation, and while the color is more of a pale lavender than rich purple and the blossoms are small, it is quite fragrant. TLDR, Miss Kim is a survivor!

I had Miss Kim in Illinois. It was just outside my office window. The aroma in early May was amazing. Loved to sit in that room.

Remember that a lilac needs to be pruned immediately after blooming, as new growth will have the blooms the next year.

I have two Miss Kim along our patio doors. The Miss Kim is a compact and flower stems should be deadheaded instead of plant pruning. Pruning may be needed to remove damaged or diseased stems, or decrease the size of a neglected Miss Kim. Deadheading is more time consuming but is the best method to increase blooms for next season and decrease seeding potential.

Our most sweetly scented lilac is a 'Persian' variety -- pale blooms.

"The smartest thing is go to a local garden center (not big box) and have this discussion."

Some would instead say that the smartest thing to do right now is stay home. If you want a discussion with a local garden expert use your telephone.

Thanks for all the info. Of course when safe I'll head to a garden center but until then thought I would try to educate myself a bit. The woody bush I have presently is NOT a lilac and have no idea what it is. I just know it is huge and not especially attractive. Will have that removed and hopefully a lilac planted in its place. Again, thanks. Just checked and Im in 7A

Satine, it's probably an out-of-control Spirea.

I've grown a ton of lilacs. Transplanted them from suckers. Ordered from catalogues. But......last year, I found re-blooming lilacs. I just planted a pair last year. The jury is not in yet.

I transferred a bunch of lilacs to the front of my property and then learned that they need about 5 hours of sun, which they will not get there!

Lilacs also need heavy interior pruning as they age.

Wow, nicole, twice-blooming lilacs!

Nicole, most lilacs will bloom twice if you deadhead the flower when it begins to fade. Give it a try.

As for pruning, I try to prune out the oldest stems down to the ground. If done during winter months, they are easy to see.

Michael...no....not like that. They actually are bred to bloom twice. A Josee. Monrovia link. Something new.

Quote:

"This revolutionary new type of lilac blooms in spring, and after a short rest during the heat of summer, it flowers again, right up until frost. Compact, mounded shape fits easily into any landscape, and is ideal as a hedge or foundation planting."

"Nicole, most lilacs will bloom twice if you deadhead the flower when it begins to fade"

Not with any old fashioned common lilac or Syringa vulgaris cultivars! The flower buds are set in the previous season and they are what they are. Deadheading will not increase their numbers!

There are a couple of reblooming lilac varieties but they are rather complex hybrids involving S. meyerii, S. microphylla, S. oblata and S. vulgaris. They stay quite compact, do not produce the big, heavy flower panicles of common lilacs, have a much narrower color range (typically just lilac :-)) and lack the intense fragrance of common or French lilacs. They do smell good but not nearly as strong or as carrying a fragrance.

The first one I tried (Northern CA) was prone to mildew as it was in dappled shade, but the one I planted a couple of years ago in full sun has been fine. I don't know the variety. However, though it bloomed beautifully last year, this year I only had 3 stunted flowers. Too much pruning or too much fertilizer?

My apologies, ladies. My experience is specifically the Miss Kim lilac. My two will definitely bloom again after deadheading and a light fertilization.

For years, I bought expensive named varieties from a loca respected nursery. They never bloomed and most did not survive. Then I saw white lilacs in bloom at my local a Kroger about 3-4 years ago and bought a few, they have bloomed like crazy and are thriving. This year will be the first to prune - always deadhead.

I love the look and smell of lilacs. The only problem I have with them is that the blossom season is short, therefore, the remainder of the year, those are just a bush. However, lilacs do not become as large as trees and do make a useful landscaping plant.

I do not know if it is a specific type of lilac, probably French???, but some older books caution not to expect a lilac to bloom for 5 to 7 years and if I am remembering correctly ten years to be blooming fully. About that time it was suggested that 1/3 of older stems be removed. I always questioned why if you should remove 1/3 which are replaced by new stems would it take 5-7 years for the first bloom. Only one I tried died long before the 5 year mark.