Nothing says spring like the wonderfully fragrant blooms of lilac! Growing into a large shrub, lilacs bloom in many colors, ranging from white to lavender to purple. Although they bloom only in spring (often around April), they are attractive the rest of the growing season, with large heart-shaped apple green leaves which drop cleanly in fall.

Plus our favorite part - they’re deer resistant! Although we all know a hungry deer will try almost anything!

Plant lilacs in full sun to very light shade. Many varieties of lilacs need a substantial winter chill to bloom well, and do great in most of central Contra Costa County. For our customers in warm winter areas, such as Alameda County, we recommend low chill varieties, such as Angel White, Blue Skies and Lavender Lady.

Lilacs are drought resistant once established and need only light pruning right after bloom (pruning later can remove developing flower buds). They require only occasional feeding. We recommend fertilizing once with Master Nursery Multi-Purpose Fertilizer 16-16-16 after bloom and once with Master Bloom 0-10-10 once in fall.

During the rainy season, we treat our budding lilacs every 3-7 days with Monterey's Complete Disease Control to protect beautiful blooms from blight! Find this organic control in our Garden Shop.

See below for images of some of our varieties available now, and what to expect upon flowering! Plant now and you’ll have fragrant bouquets like these come spring!