by this time of year.. in my MI .. im not much concerned by ugly leaves ... they will be falling off soon enough .... and as such.. whats the use of treating them????

this type of leaf issue.. could still be related to the stresses of planting.. and whatever ma nature threw at it this summer ..

btw .... my regular lilac showed some level of drought issues a few weeks back.. and they look a lot worse than yours does ... and im not concerned about mine ...

it would not hurt.. to dig a few holes by hand.. and confirm proper water at depth ... and a good drink in fall sure wouldnt hurt.... just to make sure it goes into winter full of water ...

ken

ps: at least its not mildewed ...

Thanks so much Ken. I would certainly keep watering the tree during the fall. Would you also suggest watering the tree during the winter too (when there is no snow yet)?

I grow a lot of Japanese lilacs and the leaves are almost always "dirty" in the later stages of summer. Doesn't matter if they were sprayed with fungicides or not. And the next spring they always leaf out healthy and clean again.

That's one definite beauty of fall. Dirty, fungus-laden, insect-carved-up leaves disappear. Preferably over the fence into your neighbor's yard. :D

Syringa reticulata are in their own category, concerning fall colors.

Some of the top leaves on mine are turning a dark brownish-red, purple-y with green mixed in.

It's okay, in concert with all the other Autumn colors.