The "Lavender Lady" is from Descanso. I don't know about "Excel" (the most fragrant lilac I have). I also had "Josee" but it was too sprawly for my garden so was given away. Blue Skies does well here too but isn't overly fragrant (a friend grows this one-don't believe it's from Descanso). Blue Skies and Lavender Lady grow faster than Excel.

This is growing in zone 10 (south of Los Angeles). You can't tell in the picture but it's in a spot that receives shade for almost half the day, including the late afternoon. During the winter season that location gets maybe only 3 or 4 hours of direct sunlight. This might be the reason for its success. The bush has gotten fairly big and, as you can see, there are lots of blooms on it right now. Surprisingly doesn't seem to require much watering, it's in hard clay soil.

I can't say it's the most fragrant lilac I've ever smelled though, but it's okay.

I too am a little surprised, I had read that lilacs require some chill, or at least take some special care to grow in low chill climates. Maybe it's because lilac is closely related to olive, so is a little more adaptable to lower chill climate conditions (even though it prefers higher chill climates).

Here is my lilac that went into bloom this year. I live in Mojave desert close to Barstow and this plant is planted on the westside of my house with full sun from 10 am to 5pm. Last year it didn't bloom so well since I didn't water at all when the flowers were forming. But this year I watered it every few days and it has rewarded me with double the blooms. I also didn't prun it last year after it finished blooming. This year I'm going to do everything right so that it will come back next year with even more blooms. Lilacs are tough, this plant is able to survive average 110 degrees from June to August without wilting and people tell me you can't grow lilacs in the desert.

What lilac is this Ally?

What lilac is the photo of Parker?

chezron, im not sure, i got it at home depot a few years back. I think most lilacs need full sun and winter chill. Our winters get down to the 30s. I wasn't sure if lilacs could take our heat but as long as the roots are shaded, I think its fine. Also water it consistently.