Evan Wood wrote:

I'm in Zone 6. We moved into the house just over two years ago, and there
was a lilac in the garden. It looks very young. It's really only one stem
going upwards with some offshooting branches. It is now about 6 feet tall,
but has not flowered as of yet. Do lilacs only flower after a certain age?

Also, does anyone know how I can identify the species of lilac?

Happy gardening

Evan Wood
Toronto On

There are several reasons why lilacs don't bloom. Number one is lack of
sufficient sunlight - they need a good six hours daily to set maximum flower
buds. Less light will result in reduced flowering. Second is improper pruning
- lilacs develop flower buds during the growing season AFTER spring blooming.
If you prune back too late, you will be removing next season's flowers. Also,
young plants may not bloom for several years after planting, depending on how
they were grown and sold. If they were purchased bareroot or balled and
burlap, they may may very well bloom the year of purchase but then take
anywhere from 3-5 years to rebloom as they become established in the garden
and develop a healthy root system. Container-grown plants tend not to go
through a similar establishment period.

Most common garden lilacs are just that - various cultivars of the common
lilac, Syringa vulgaris, or hybrids of this species. There is a huge range of
flower colors available, depending on the cultivar. To determine exactly which
one yours is may not be that easy, but when it does flower (be patient and
have faith!), take a cutting in to your local nursery to see if they can
identify the cultivar for you. Or, this link may help:
http://lilacs.freeservers.com/

pam - gardengal