Garden

[scrapper317]

Good Morning! I was hoping to get some advice on a dwarf lilac I purchased. I planted it in a pot when it arrived back in early summer. It was a mess when it arrived and I figured it was a goner, but it did pretty well ove the summer. It even had a few blooms and the hummingbirds enjoyed it. Now I have nio clue what to do with it. Do I bring the pot in for the winter? Pretty much anything I have ever tried to put in the ground has died, so I stick with annuals in pots for some summer color around my yard. I am in NJ, any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Colleen

[fthunt]

I have a couple of lilac bushes planted in garden so there they stay - for a potted one I'd (guess)......after a frost - move the pot in unheated garage for the winter.  Lilacs are tough plants - hard to kill them - Google for some directions would be my plan.

[ValuSkr]

I think you should plant it in the ground; most lilacs need winter's cold in order to bloom well next year.  But, if you leave it potted, keep it outside in a pot that's not prone to crack due to freezing temperatures - i.e. a heavy glazed clay pot or a more expensive plastic pot.  Of course, the roots may still freeze and the plants may die but that's a chance we take when leaving plants in pots over the winter.

[pattypeep]

@scrapper317  If you are on the fence perhaps plant the pot and all in the ground. My husband likes to start cuttings and I had him put the pots and all in the ground the first year. If you want, you can take the lilac pot out for the summer and then plant if the lilac looks healthy.Good luck. 

[pattypeep]

@scrapper317  If you are on the fence perhaps plant the pot and all in the ground. My husband likes to plant cuttings and I had him put the pots and all in the ground the first year. If you want, you can take the lilac pot out for the summer and then plant if the lilac looks healthy.

[BirkiLady]

That's a tough question. Lilacs a hardy plants, but I've never heard of keeping them in pots.

You could try overwintering them in the garage, but don't trim them since their buds have already formed right after blooming. Make sure to water thoroughly before placing in the garage and give it a little water once each month. Too much water could rot the roots. Plant the lilac early next spring if it survives.

If the container if a frost-free pot, you could bury it. This would provide the plant with the proper sunlight, weather and moisture it needs. Then, plant the lilac in the ground EARLY next spring.

Another way to leave it outside (if in a frost-free pot) would be to lie the pot on its side next to your house (in a sheltered area) or under another shrub or cover with leaves. This would also provide the plant with proper sunlight, weather and moisture needed. Again, plant the lilac early next spring.

I also have a miniature lilac from Proven Winners and its absolutely gorgeous! Mine has been in my yard for about six years. Those miniatures are easy to maintain.

Hope your plant survives to provide you with years of beauty and joy. 

[Foxxee]

I never had luck leaving plants outside in pots during freezing winters.  Roots froze and all died.  

If you can't plant in the ground or put the pot in the ground, I'd take it in the garage, not inside in the warmth because lilacs need cold winters to bloom in the Spring. 

[mousiegirl]

---

@scrapper317 wrote:

Good Morning! I was hoping to get some advice on a dwarf lilac I purchased. I planted it in a pot when it arrived back in early summer. It was a mess when it arrived and I figured it was a goner, but it did pretty well ove the summer. It even had a few blooms and the hummingbirds enjoyed it. Now I have nio clue what to do with it. Do I bring the pot in for the winter? Pretty much anything I have ever tried to put in the ground has died, so I stick with annuals in pots for some summer color around my yard. I am in NJ, any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Colleen

---

@scrapper317   I bought quite a few of these years ago, here, and they are in pots.  I am in N. Ca, so everything stays outside, but I do know that Lilacs need cold in order to bloom, though I don';t know about frost, but since they grow all over, I would think frost is okay, but you should google for information, I do when I don't know about a certain plant.