• BROOKINGS, S.D. - Lilacs are one of those plants whose lovely flower clusters and sweet fragrance are anticipated by gardeners in many parts of the world but especially in the colder regions of the United States, Europe and Asia, according to David Graper, Extension Horticulture Specialist and Director of McCrory Gardens.
• "While lilacs are not native to North America, they were brought here by the earliest settlers because they were so highly prized in the Old World," Graper said. "Interestingly, lilacs were one of the first flowering plants to be forced into bloom in a greenhouse by the Dutch back in the 1600's. There are about 22 different species of Syringa with nine of these well adapted and commonly available for planting in our Northern Plains climate."
• Graper explains that lilacs are members of the genus Syringa which is derived from the Greek word syrinx, meaning hollow stem.
• "In fact, some of the first English common names for Lilac were "pipe tree" and "blow stem" coming from the early use of lilac stems in the manufacture of smoking pipes and even crude needles used in medicine. Our common name of Lilac is derived from a variety of similar words meaning bluish," he said.
• Graper says the primary interest in lilacs comes from the lovely, fragrant clusters of flowers which are freely borne in the spring. He says they do particularly well in our climate.
• "Lilacs require several weeks of temperatures below or near freezing to develop

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