THE LILAC ZONE
'Afrodita'
There are also several other lilacs that are on my wish list that thankfully are not of the Russian variety. I say "thankfully" because in not being of the kind, I have half a chance of obtaining them someday. :-)
Photo courtesy of Tatiana Polyakova
This lilac is called 'Marcie Merlot' and was selected and introduced by a wonderful gentleman by the name of Bob Hoepfl. Bob unfortunately passed away recently, but his legacy includes this beautiful lilac that has a very distinctive
'Northern Palmyra' (Blue Terry)
'Chistaya Voda' (Pure Water) - thought to be the bluest Russian double-flowering cultivar by one of the propagators that introduced this cultivar!
'Tishina' (Quietude)
'Valentin Serov'
'Doroga Zhizni' (Road of Life)
'Feya Sireni' (Lilac Fairy)
'Sirenevoe Schast'e' ' (Lilac Happiness)
'Gastello' - Like the other Russian lilacs listed above, I have never actually seen this lilac in person but every time I see a photo of it, it grabs my attention. The blooms are so profuse that the panicles tend to have a "fluffy" appearance. Others must agree that it is a notable lilac as I have seen it featured in many Russian lilac books and articles.
'Sinen'kiy Skromniy Platochek' (Blue Modest Shawl)
Photo courtesy of Tatiana Polyakova
'Il'ya Muromets'
'Zhuravlik Origami' (Origami Crane)
lighter border on its florets, giving it a bicolor effect. This lilac is extremely rare and has proven finicky when trying to replicate, but my hope is that someday it will be available and part of my collection, not only because of its sheer beauty but as a way for me to remember Bob as well.
'Tatiana Day' - This lilac is relatively new, originating as a bud mutation of 'Mulatka' in 2013. That being the case, I suppose that I should not be surprised that I am attracted to it! The blooms appear to exhibit a remarkable color of gold and peach. A friend of mine in Russia has said that the photos really do not do it justice in regards to its unique beauty. Of course, it is not available in the United States. Hopefully someday it will make its way to the U.S.!
'Irene' - If you haven't been able to tell by now, I am really drawn to the blue lilacs. This particular lilac at one time was described as "the bluest of blues" by one avid lilac fan. That may not necessarily be the case anymore, but what really drew my attention to this lilac was the distinct yellow/green eye in each floret. It really stands out and gives a unique and cool dimension to the flowers.
'Skromnitsa' - This is a super pale pink Russian lilac that exhibits such a unique and beautiful hue from a distance. I saw a lilac similar in color in a private collection that was labeled as Russian in origin but the color of the bloom did not comport to the name on the plant label. In trying to determine which cultivar it may be, it was suggested that it could be 'Skromnitsa' by a Russian friend of mine. We will likely never know if it truly is, but if that is what 'Skromnitsa' looks like, I would love to have it as part of my collection!
Photo courtesy of Tatiana Polyakova
'Tikhaya Obitel' (Quiet Abode)
'Anastasiya'
'Igor Northerner'
'Prof. Hoser' - Yeah, yeah, I know. Another blue-flowering lilac... I got to see this cultivar flowering during the spring of 2022 at Highland Park and was astounded by the blue coloration of its petals. It is thought to be one of the two bluest double-flowering cultivars, aside from the new Russian introduction 'Pure Water' (seen above) by my propagator friend.
A friend in Russia just informed me that she and three other fellow lilac propagators have recently selected and given names to over a 100 new lilacs that have been propagated there. She has shared quite a few images with those in the lilac community and boy, are they all beautiful! I am highlighting some of those that really grabbed my attention below***. These are all quite spectacular (and, of course, unfortunately unavailable in the US!)
'Miloserdie' (Mercy)
'Lila Wonder' - Think 'Sensation' but a much lighter violet. This cultivar is vary rare in the United States, but I was excited to find out in the spring of 2021 that a good friend of mine was able to verify that her specimen is true-to-name (as it bloomed for the first time) - and I was able to see it first-hand! She has been kind enough to offer a sucker to me some day when the shrub gets robust enough. I look forward to that day! (Wahoo!)
***All photos courtesy of Tatiana Polyakova***
So there you have it - my current wish list, which as some of you that may have frequented this site in the past have assuredly noticed, changes as time moves on and when/if I have success in locating and procuring these hard-to-find varieties. Much to the chagrin of my wife, as much as some lilacs come off of the wish list (usually because I was able to procur it), I do add on to the wish list as well as I observe new cultivars and fall in love with them.
I have created this page in hopes that upon viewing, someone may be able to set me up with one of these. I realize that due to US importation laws that likely excludes a good majority of the lilacs that are on my list at this point but as far as the other lilacs are concerned, if you happen to have one of these or know how I could obtain one (without sending me to the poor-house in the process) take pity on a poor lilac addict and reach out! Feel free to email me using the "Contact" link above! As mentioned in the "Mission" section, I am slowly getting to the point that I can reciprocate, so perhaps we can help each other out!
Despite the fact that we have limited space, I find that if I want a new lilac badly enough, I can get creative enough to find room for it without crowding the lilacs currently in our collection. At some point, I will have to stop...but there are still some lilacs out there that I would love to have, so maybe I'm not ready to stop just yet. One thing I have certainly been impressed with is people's willingness to share and/or help me obtain some of the harder-to-find cultivars! In this day and age of people being so focused on themselves, there still continues to be people out there that amaze me with their generosity!
Many of the lilacs in my collection have started out as humble suckers sent to me by a generous individual which was essentially my lilac "benefactor", who I shall refer to as "LB". Unfortunately "LB" has now wisely retired and many of the lilacs listed below either were not in his collection or did not sucker for him.
I remain on a quest to obtain the lilacs below: