Bloomerang - Reblooming Lilacs for the South

Did you catch the pun in the title of this post? If you didn't, go back and take another look. (It's okay. I'll wait right here.)

See it now?

There's a new, re-blooming lilac on the market, but it's not called 'Boomerang' - it's 'BLOOM-erang.' Cute, yes?

 I'm really excited about this plant, because lilacs typically don't perform well in the South. It's not that our weather is too hot; the problem is that we don't get a long-enough period of winter chill for lilacs.

Jim, one of the plant-gurus at the Lowe's store in Douglasville, showed me the plants last weekend, and he's excited, too. These babies are supposed to bloom in spring and fall, giving us lilac-starved Southern gardeners a double dose of beautiful blossoms.

(Actually, Jim told me that 'Bloomerang' has been out for about 3 years now, but there are finally enough plants on the market to get to our area. So don't hesitate--they're probably going to sell out fast, once word gets around.)

Meanwhile, Jim tells me that the blueberry bushes are flying out of his store, too, at the rate of about 20 plants a week. Blueberries, he said, are great to grow, because you don't just get the fruit. You also get pretty flowers in the springtime, and reddish foliage on the bushes in fall. Also, birds are attracted to the berries, in case you're more interested in the wildlife than picking.

I scooped up some bargains on pansies last weekend, so if you're in the market for inexpensive color, be sure to check around at area garden centers. Pansies start to get leggy and floppy once warm weather arrives, and the way things are going, that won't be long. But for the next couple of months, discounted pansies are a good buy and add beauty to porches and decks. Right now, I'm enjoying a basket of yellow pansies hanging in my back yard. They're like a splash of sunshine against the bare, brown landscape.

If you go lilac-shopping, don't forget that these fragrant plants don't like hot sun, so place yours in a spot that gets shade in summer. I'll let you know how mine grow when I get them planted!