CALIFORNIA SCHEMING...

With vivid colours and big impact, Californian lilac is a dream in spring

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'Gloire de Versailles', with large panicles of pale blue flowers, is the most popular deciduous variety. Growing to 1.5m in height and spread, it flowers later on in July through to September.

Another late-flowering variety is 'Autumn Blue', which has sky blue flowers from late summer to autumn.

My favourites are 'Puget Blue' and 'Skylark' as they both have really rich blue flowers. Other varieties to note include pink 'Perle Rose' and 'Snow Flurry', with clusters of scented white flowers.