Last year, I had a landscaper move my lilac tree (around April timeframe before it bloomed) just 5 feet over from its original spot. When it bloomed, normally the flowers are dark purple, but some were white flowers. This year, the same thing - some are dark purple but some are white. Does this mean that the lilac tree is in shock? What should I do? Thanks.
Likely it's grafted. One color of flower is being produced by rootstock sprouts. Unless the rootstock has had time to throw up shoots for years and become nearly dominant, these will probably be fewer in number than those of the scion (the one grafted on top of the other). If these are the majority, another way to tell which they belong to might be that they are forming a sort of spreading thicket around the other color, with the other color only being a treelike portion in the center. Saw these rootstock sprouts off at ground level at flowering time, when they can be identified.
Thanks Ron B. for your advice. I'm a city girl so please be patient with me. I think my original question was not clear. Before my lilac tree was moved, it bloomed with all dark purple flowers. After it was moved, a majority of the flowers were dark purple and a few bloomed white in the bottom of one of the branches. What should I do in this case? I'd like for the entire lilac tree to bloom with dark purple flowers as it did in past years. Thanks again!
