Subject: Orange lilacs

From: [email-masked] (Erika McNeil)
Date: 24 Mar 1995 17:35:10 GMT

I'm hoping someone can help me with this.  While visiting my brother in Santa 
Cruz I noticed a beautiful, delicate lilac growing outside his house.  But it 
was a light orange color, and I've not seen one since.  I've looked at 
nurseries where I'm from (Boston area) as well as here in Ohio, and I can only 
find purple and, rarely, white.  Was I deceived?  Did I really just *think* I 
saw it?!
I would appreciate any advice about this, such as:
where can I find one
will it grow in New England or Ohio
was I imagining things
Thanks in advance!

*******************
Erika Hanson McNeil
*******************

:*)

---

From: [email-masked] (Bradley J. Bittorf)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 15:53:16 GMT

| [You asked whether you had really seen an orange lilac.]

Officially, there are no orange lilacs.  If you really saw one, I'm 
sure there are many people who would be interested to find out more 
about it.  (Call me first so I can "discover" it :-)

There is one lilac cultivar, Primrose, which is classified as a white
lilac but which is acknowledged as the only yellow- or cream-colored
lilac.  I pulled out my copy of *LILACS: THE GENUS SYRINGA* by Fr. John 
Fiala to review the picture of Primrose, and indeed, I can see how 
someone may consider this to be a sort of orange hue in certain light.

Interestingly, on the opposite page there is a picture of 'Krasavitsa 
Moskvy', which also looks as though it might have orangish buds, even 
though they are really a pale lavendar-red.  This is probably due to 
the photography or color reproduction, however.

Again, I think lighting makes a difference in the perception of 
color, as of course local soil and lighting affects the actual color.

By the way, there are officially seven classifications of lilac
color (the Wister Color Code): 
	I -	White
	II -	Violet
	III - 	Blue
	IV -	Lilac
	V -	Pink
	VI -	Magenta
	VII -	Purple

For more information, join me at the International Lilac Society
Conference in Clinton, IA, May 11-13.  Or call your local nursery,
arboretum, or visit the library.
--
Bradley J. Bittorf                           | Phone:  216.646.4629
Allen-Bradley Company/Rockwell Automation    | FAX:    216.646.4484
747 Alpha Drive, Highland Heights, OH  44143 | e-mail: [email-masked]