I grew up in Oregon/Idaho and my grandmother always had Lilacs. She sent me a start from her white bush and from her purple bush in the mail! I live in a new subdivision and I had planted them about a year ago clear in the back of my yard. The ground is really hard and rocky out there so after about 6 months when I wasn't seeing any growth out of them I moved them. I have a small patio on my sliding glass door in the back and I dug up a small section of grass in the yard in the shape of a circle a few feet away from each side of the patio. After I put them there I noticed in a couple months that they started growing healthy looking green leaves. However, they are still only a few inches tall and don't seem to be getting bigger. One of them seems to be getting wider and the other just seems to sit at the same height. I know that these aren't supposed to grow in Texas, but they've been alive for over a year and survived so much. I love Lilacs so much and none of the nurseries here have ever heard of them to be able to give me advice. Is there anything at all I can do to help these grow. My grandmother told me if I gave them enough love that they would grow even though they aren't supposed to. I really would love for them to grow because not only are they beautiful, they would serve as a reminder of my grandmother for years and years, even when she has left us. I recently tried to fertilize them with this fertilizer I found for bushes and I also put some mulch around them. Any suggestions or am I pining for a lost cause?
Thanks!
Janet