I bought 4 plants last summer. They came in a package and were only about 4" long! I was stunned (and not in a positive way!) and considered sending them back. However, I planted them on the east side of my house and they are now about 3 feet tall and flowering. I did get flowers last year as well.....not abundant, but for the first year...not bad! I ordered mine from Gurnee (spelling?)Springhill also has them, but they are more expensive, and I have never dealt with them. I hope that this will help you!

Josee had better smell good. I just planted a little one from Forest Farm this spring!

I planted a small one (about 2' tall) last fall. I was amazed when I saw it putting out flowers this weekend - I was expecting to have to wait a couple of years, until it was older. Hmm, I'll have to remember to go smell it later.

My Josee bloomed the first year and smells very good. It is blooming again this year,now in April. It did not re-bloom much, a little but not much, I think once again in August.
All the other young lilacs I planted have not yet bloomed. So,yes, I would recommend Josee. I see your message was posted over a year ago. Did you get one?
Audrey

I bought a Josee this a.m. from Gardener's Supply. It said to get more blooms in a season to deadhead the spent blooms. But this may be more trouble than it's worth! If it's anything like trying to deadhead Moonbean Coreopsis you can just fogettabboutit! But it might be worth trying. Mine will be handy...just outside my back door.

Got a Josee (tiny) last year, I think pretty late. It has grown quite a bit, maybe 3 feet this year. It also bloomed once in the spring, once in mid summer and its now late sept. and I noticed a cluster of buds on it a couple days ago. And, it doesnt get much attention. Its not exactly covered with flowers, but very impressive growth and reblooming especially considering its in its first year and it gets so little attention.

This thread has been dormant for a long time, but I hope the following information will still be useful.

I volunteer for an organization that maintains street plantings in our small town in northwestern Connecticut. In the median plantings in the center of Main Street we have 8-10 Josee lilacs, in the ground now maybe 8 years. The conditions for these shrubs could hardly be more unforgiving. The beds themselves are ordinary median barriers about 6" high with the planting beds within the curbing minimally-improved soil provided by the Town. These beds are surrounded by four traffic lanes and a parking lane on either side with pretty much full sun exposure all year. There is no provision for irrigation or other watering; these plantings depend on whatever rain they get. For all that, these lilacs have done amazingly well, blooming beautifully year after year. The flowers are nicely fragrant - a bit less strong than the classic French lilacs - pervading the surrounding air particularly in early morning.

@ paula11 immediately above: Lilacs are deadheaded as soon as the inflorescences are gone by. This is also the time for general pruning and shaping of the shrubs. Individual panicles are borne on their own stems, and these are cut back to the nearest branching point with strong foliage growth. It is a good idea to deadhead before the shrub gets too far along in seed production, since unless you are breeding lilacs there's no good reason to allow the plant to use it's resources for making seed.

In subsequent flushes of bloom, prune out only spent flowering stems. While you can prune for shape or rejuvenation at any time in the season, pruning at times other than after the first bloom will limit the amount of flowering for the next season.

I've purchased both the Josee Reblooming Lilac and Bloomerang. The Josee's I got from Michigan Bulb and though very small when I received them, they grew like no tomorrow! I love the Josees! I've had no problems with any of them and each year they grow to almost three times the size as the year before. They truly are rebloomers too and even with crazy weather like a drought last year and the wettest spring in history, they keep getting bigger and more beautiful each year.

While I lost many trees and shrubs last year due to the drought, and perennials this year due to the freezing-thawing-refreezing this year, I've not lost one single reblooming lilac. The Josee's are bigger than the Bloomerangs though both have the same color (no the bloomerangs are not darker). The Bloomerangs grow more compact and thicker, though I think if I trimmed the Josee's they'd do the same.

I highly recommend either, though you can get 3 Josee's for $19.99 at Michigan Bulb, while the Bloomerangs are much more expensive, I spent $79 on three the year before last from Spring Hill Nursery.

Good luck and let us know what you decided!

I have been thrilled with my Josee, for the past three years it has bloomed more and more each summer, and now June first it is full of blossoms. My problem is that the leaves are drooping and it looks like parts of the bush are dying. I have never had a problem with any lilac, and it has been so healthy, I am stumped.
By the way, the blooms are more pink than my Bloomerang which is doing very well after I moved it to a sunnier location. It was one of those 6 inch wonders. Now at least 4 feet tall in 2 yrs.
Please let me know if you have any ideas. I love my Josee and will be so sad if it succumbs to what ever this is.

Kari, your post is two years old...I wondered if your Josee lilac made it, because mine is doing the same thing right now. Half the plant has withered and browned in midsummer, after a healthy bloom in spring. I can't decide what to do, but will probably wait and see.

Live in Louisiana and planted 4 Josee Lilacs 4 years ago have yet to even get a bloom. wonder if maybe just to hot in Louisiana.