THE GREEN THUMB 7 
tain towns of Salida (7,050 ft.), Ouray 
(7,721 ft.), and Gunnison (7,683 ft.). 
Our season (Gunnison) is a week to ten 
days later than Salida.... As a 
newspaper editor (Gunnison News— 
Champion) I have a good many con- 
tacts with people living at still higher 
altitudes in Crested Butte (8,867 ft.), 
Lake City (8,681 ft.), Pitkin (9,200 ft.) 
etc. Have been giving them specimens 
of peonies and lilacs to try, and so far 
as I can see their culture can go up to 
timberline.”’ (12) 
Lemoine J. Bechtold reports that at 
his summer home in Bear Creek Canon 
near Evergreen at 7,000 feet altitude in 
subirrigated location near that moun- 
tain stream the French lilacs and the 
species and hybrids persica, chinensis, 
josikaea and Henri Lutece all do beau- 
tifully. Luther White, pioneer nursery- 
man in the White River country at 
Meeker, writes that “all lilacs are 
hardy and beautiful here.” 
In mile-high Denver the peak of 
bloom (Syringa vulgaris and its modern 
French varieties) extends over about a 
two-weeks’ period in May but fluctu- 
ates with our spring weather from early 
May to mid-May or even late May as 
happened last spring (1944). Mrs. G. 
R. Marriage’s Upton Gardens collec- 
tion at Colorado Springs (5,900 feet) 
was exceptionally beautiful last spring, 
blooming somewhat later than in 
Denver. She says the French lilacs 
bloom late, so are rarely hurt by frosts. 
D. M. Andrews told the writer that his 
Rockmont Nursery collection of a hun- 
dred varieties of imported French lilacs 
at Boulder (5,350 feet) bloomed heavily 
on an average of three years out of 
every four. Andrews said fall trans- 
planting was probably even better than 
early spring. 
In the following tabulation of the 
results of the Colorado survey the 
Lemoines of Nancy, France, in the year 
designated, introduced the varieties of 
the common lilac listed except where 
otherwise indicated. 
The color classification in “Lilacs for 
America”’ is followed in the tabulation. 
Lilac colors are combinations of blue 
and red of numerous hues, values, in- 
tensities and purity. The colors vary 
from buds to open florets and from day 
to day until they fade. The color of a 
given variety of the common lilac is 
almost as difficult to describe accu- 
rately as is the familiar and delightful 
lilac fragrance common to Syringa vul- 
(12) Among the French lilacs Lake mentions as outstanding at 7700 feet elevation are in alpha- 
betical order Capitaine Baltet, Edith Cavell, Ellen Willmott, Henri Martin, Ludwig Spaeth, 
Mme. F. Morel, President Fallieres, President Poincare, Reaumur, Vestale, Victor Lemoine, 
William Robinson, and the hybrids Chinensis (except Chinensis alba) and the species persica. 
He has a seventeen-year-old amurensis japonica tree in his lawn and recommends it as good 
but thinks the Japanese tree lilac is almost at the limit of climate there. 
(13) “‘A basic formula for a synthetic lilac oil would consist of approximately fifty parts of 
Terpineol, twenty-five parts of Hydroxy Citronellol, six parts of Anis Aldehyde, five parts 
of Heliotropine, one part of Iso Eugenal, two parts of Alpha Amyl Cinnamic Aldehyde, 
twelve parts of DiMethyl Benzyl Carbinol, two parts of Phenyl Acetaldehyde, two parts of 
Anis Alcohol. Besides these, compound oils of Jasmine, Tuberose, Jonquil, Rose, Iris, Orange- 
blossoms, Ylang, Hyacinth, and others, are added in small quantities.’ ’’ Dr. Ernst Ohlsson 
quoted by Alfred Gunderson “‘Lilacs in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden,’ Brooklyn Botanical 
Record 30:194, July, 1941. 
