hi mel .....

i have 5 acres.. about 166 meters square.. i dont really know if i have room for 25 lilacs ... you might want to think about getting too carried away ...

next i would aim at nothing that is mildew susceptible.. start with resistant types ...

i recommend the white purple edged lilac... the name of which is escaping me ... begins with an S .... got it.. sensation .. copy/paste this link:

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1188&bih=866&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=lilac+sensation&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

also.. look for dappled dawn.. the variegated leaf version ... see link ....

my gut tells me they are all rooted ... so i am confused about your 'own root' statement.. but i might be wrong on that ...

finally .. these shrubs need renovation pruning to maintain vigor ... and that can become a giant job.. in the decades to come.. especially as you get older ... and you might be creating an overwhelming problem in the decades to come.. by adding 25 plants ... just think that part out ...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

List of some good ones with links to (British) suppliers.

Here is a link that might be useful: 15 records for âSyringaâ

bboy,
Thanks, that helps.
Ken,
The common lilac grows all over the place here. I have two mature plants myself, so I know how big they get, but thanks for the warning. It is easy to get carried away, I know. I appreciate the suggestions. I'm working on a lilac allee, about half common lilacs and about half cultivars of Syringa vulgaris. I'm looking for suggestions for those cultivars. We live in the country and have a small former farm. The garden currently is about two acres, intensely cultivated, and with only two large trees (large twenty years from now, perhaps), so it has a lot of room for big shrubs. You're right about pruning, but I'm just going to ignore that particular reality. For what it's worth, in my experience unpruned lilacs may get ratty, but they keep on blooming, and they live forever.
About own root. This means plants that are grown without a rootstock, not grafted. In the case of lilacs they would be grown from rooted cuttings or from suckers taken from a parent plant. In Europe, at least, many lilac cultivars are grafted onto various rootstocks: common lilac, other lilac species (with the advantage that the gardener can see whether developing suckers come from the rootstock or from the grafted plant, as the foliage is different), and some are grafted onto ligustrum. Grafting is quicker, cheaper, and easier, but then you have the problem that the rootstock may overwhelm the grafted plant. That's why I would prefer ownroot plants, but I don't know of a supply.
Melissa

you said: I'm just going to ignore that particular reality

====>>>> as they say .. i reject your reality.. and substitute my own... lol ...

i agree in regard to grafted stock in this regard ...

you go girl ... keep us posted..

ken

Here is an great article from Fine Gardening magazine I think you will find helpful....I also second the suggestion of Sensation lilac. It is the only one I have (well, the only one I have added to my garden as there is an old and not too terrific one already there) and I love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: lilac article

Lilacs I have grown and recommend ...

Beauty of Moscow (Krasavitsa Moskvy)
Nadezhda
Atheline Wilber
Katherine Havemeyer
Paul Thirion
President Poincare
Wonderblue

Lilacs I wish I had room for ...

Congo
Charles Joly
Andenken an Ludwig Sp�th

Enjoy,

simcan,
Thanks for the article: I took a quick look at it looks interesting and helpful. Long live lilacs!
Melissa

Aegis500,
Looks like we were posting at the same time. Thank you for the list, and may I add it's pleasant to hear from someone who sounds like a lilac lover. I took notes from your post.
Melissa

My favourite is Maidens Blush. HUGE clusters of pink flowers. The white purple edged one I think may be Sensation but it is purple with white edges.

Thanks, beegood. I'll keep it in mind.
Melissa