If you want summer flowering trees, the closest you'll get are probably
Crepe Myrtles. They come in a variety of colors; white, red (dark pink),
pink and lavender. Lilacs do not prosper in this area; at least not the
ones we're used to having up north. I had 4 huge bushes in my yard that
were in full bloom around Memorial Day every year. The reason I remember so
well was because I filled vases throughout my house when I put it on the
market and used signs with red,white and blue balloons to direct people to
our open house. When the first person walked in, she was so impressed by
the smell of the lilacs and commented how much she loved them, she ended up
buying my house. This was my first open house. I can't say that's the only
reason it sold, but it sure helped.

There are many other shrubs and trees that will bloom in the spring with
flowers (with and without fragrance) that do well here. Your best bet is to
check out a local nursery (not Home Depot or Lowes) and ask a nursery person
to show you some trees that bloom and what time of year they bloom. You can
also contact the Master Gardener program. Look in Saturday's paper (N&O)
and find the section with all the local garden shops and you'll find lots of
places to contact with questions. Also look up our local Cooperative
Extension and ask them. They are a wealth of information on what does well
in this area.

Good luck.

Penny
"Arwen Long" wrote in message
pub.duke.edu...
Do lilacs grow well down here or does the heat make them unhappy during
the summer? What other similarly sized flowering things (or non-flowering,
for variety) grow well?
tx
Arwen