House in Progress Diary

just think what could be hiding in there! Maybe a skunk or raccoon :) I bet that smell could make into your house through open windows- how heavenly!

Looks like you'll probably have to cut it way back in the next couple years to keep it blooming--don't worry, lilacs are really resilient and come back quickly, although don't expect it to bloom the year after you prune it. We just pruned one of our bushes, and it's already leafing up considerably.

I love how they smell. It was one of the surprising delights about our house that we discovered in the spring after we moved in.

The key to pruning lilacs, should you accept your mission, is to do it as soon as the blossoms start to fade. Lilacs, like hydrangeas, bloom on old growth wood. (At least the old fashioneds do. Don't know about them new-fangled hybrids.) If you prune right after flowering, they'll have all summer long to grow for next year.

This message will now self destruct.

Nice website. I was googling Craftsman Bungalow. There is a really beutiful one 3 blocks from me. It has been there since 1900. Since it is the Avenues in San Francisco. It survived 1906 because it is close the beach. I live in a 1913 Edwardian. The homing pigeon coop is still attached to the house. Early Internet.
Eichler houses may interest you.