lillac variety - Ask Extension
Our family has always placed flowers on graves each memorial day. Most years I hear much moaning about how the lillacs have bloomed and fadded way be...
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lillac variety #924216
Asked February 04, 2026, 12:00 AM EST
Our family has always placed flowers on graves each memorial day. Most years I hear much moaning about how the lillacs have bloomed and fadded way before Memorial Day. Are there any varieties of lillac that bloom reliably later in the year that still have the traditional cluster blossoms we are used to? Or is there any way to trick our lillacs into blooming later?
Thanks
Yamhill County Oregon
Expert Response
Hello,
This could definitely be a year with earlier blooms. I have seen lilac's bud's swelling early this year. I'm not sure you can slow down blooming, but you can choose some later blooming cultivars as you mentioned. Whether they will be blooming for sure at Memorial Day I cannot say, however. I have linked a couple publications which highlight earlier and later blooming cultivars. They mention timing in the publications, however they are not from Oregon, so the dates would be off. You could however look into trying one which they say blooms later. One called 'Late Lilac' (Syringa villosa) was mentioned in both, but there are some other late ones as well.
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/lilacs-species-iowa-gardens
https://ces.open.uaf.edu/2020/06/01/consider-bloom-time-when-selecting-lilacs-for-your-yard/
Thank you for using Ask Extension!
This could definitely be a year with earlier blooms. I have seen lilac's bud's swelling early this year. I'm not sure you can slow down blooming, but you can choose some later blooming cultivars as you mentioned. Whether they will be blooming for sure at Memorial Day I cannot say, however. I have linked a couple publications which highlight earlier and later blooming cultivars. They mention timing in the publications, however they are not from Oregon, so the dates would be off. You could however look into trying one which they say blooms later. One called 'Late Lilac' (Syringa villosa) was mentioned in both, but there are some other late ones as well.
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/lilacs-species-iowa-gardens
https://ces.open.uaf.edu/2020/06/01/consider-bloom-time-when-selecting-lilacs-for-your-yard/
Thank you for using Ask Extension!
