It seems like a great idea. But why is there is much controversy about reblooming lilacs?

It started with a high-profile article in Slate Magazine titled “Gilding the Lilac: A new hybrid could kill the nostalgia for these fleeting blooms of spring.” In the article, Slate sounded the alarm about a new lilac with “a promise to bloom from spring on through to the fall, right up until the first frost.”

The controversy then spread to Maclean’s Magazine, a popular Canadian weekly news magazine. In a feature story titled “Ever-blooming Lilac Wars” Maclean’s warned their readers about a “dynamo dwarf shrub upends lilac logic by flowering in early spring, again in summer, then reblooming as the leaves turn―a hybridizing innovation that can be viewed as wondrous or as horrifying.”

The shrub causing all this controversy? Bloomerang™ Purple, a new reblooming lilac variety from Proven Winners® ColorChoice®.

Bloomerang™ Purple Lilac (Syringa x)

In contrast to these old-fashioned lilacs, Bloomerang produces a bumper crop of fragrant lavender flowers in spring, and then continues to bloom again from mid- summer until frost. Many gardeners have reported seeing flowers as late as Halloween. Every stem can produce flowers in summer, creating a burst of purple in your garden.

Every new innovation creates controversy, and it appears the gardening world is no different. The critics seem to prefer to enjoy their lilacs just a few weeks a year. They have every right to their opinions. Meanwhile, thousands of home gardeners have fallen in love with enjoying their lilacs all summer with Bloomerang. And isn’t that the beauty having your own home garden? Since it is your garden, you can put in whatever plants you want – innovative and new, or traditional and old-fashioned. As long as gardeners have this amazing freedom of choice and expression, you will continue to see debates and discussions about which plants are best.

You can find Bloomerang for sale in better garden centers in the white Proven Winners container. And to learn more about Bloomerang, visit provenwinners.com.

Read more about the Bloomerang™ Purple Lilac »