Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I was wondering if anyone can identify what kind of tree this is. It's in the neighbor garden next door. No one here has any idea what kind of tree it is, tho it's very pretty.

It's rather like lilacs in that the flowers are in bunches. These pix are from this morning.

It looks like a tree-size azalea. Do azaleas grow to tree size? (I know rhododendrons do, and, botanically, azaleas are just loose rhododendrons (rhododendra?).)

Don't know what the tree is but I think it's cool the way the pole goes through it.

I should have looked closer. The leaves are all wrong.

I think it's a Chestnut tree, See this photo:

http://www.pbase.com/image/97439893

That's a horsechestnut, not a chestnut. That's not it. The flowers on a horsechestnut are in flame-shaped bunches, not loose like these.

The photo says it's a chestnut but I'm no expert that's for sure.

Definitely a horsechestnut. I've sent them a correction.

I don't have a clue, Tina. During my wood working years I dealt with the hardwoods so I don't know what this one is but I can say that it will fit real nice in my front yard. I love flowering trees.

You might send the photos to an online nursery expert and see what they say.

-1bigsteve (o:

Could it be apple blossoms?
It reminds me of cherry blossoms but not the white color.

Beautiful tree!

It looks like a white lilac tree, to me.

What does the trunk look like? Is it a single tree trunk or are there several thin trunks to it?

www.angwinreporter.com/2006/AR06/index.html

Harry @ Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:49 pm wrote:Don't know what the tree is but I think it's cool the way the pole goes through it.

I 1/2 expected someone to say it was a "hydro pole tree" or something to that effect.

Thanks all for input.

I know for sure it's not a chestnut tree---I know chestnut trees with their lush big leaves.

I was thinking lilac as well---but if so, it's a month late. The purple & red lilacs were this time in May & all gone by the end of the 1st week of June.

I'll see if I can get a look at the trunk somehow.

I also thought, after I submitted my post, of course, that if it is a white lilac tree, the blooms are late. The lilacs bloom in southern Wisconsin around Memorial Day weekend.

Another thing you could do is take a sample of the leaves along with a cluster of blooms into your gardening center - usually they can identify almost anything.

The structure of the tree trunk may also tell us something.

Good luck in finding out what kind of tree it is, Tina-Kate. Let us know what you find out - curiosity, you know!

Kat @ Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:57 am wrote:Could it be apple blossoms?
It reminds me of cherry blossoms but not the white color.

Nope, not an apple tree. There is an apple tree farther back on the same property. That one bloomed just after I got back from England.

Later I may climb up on the bumper fence to peer over the neighbor's fence & look at the trunk. I'm nervous about doing so as they're home all day & not good natured.

Ohhh, be careful, Tina-Kate. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble with them.

Another thought - Maybe the people at your gardening center can identify the tree, if you take your photos of it in for them to look at. Of course, they may want to know what kind of a truck it has.

OK. I climbed on the bumper fence & peered over. Several little trunks all joined into one. I have to say it looks like a lilac. But if so, I swear it must be the biggest lilac I've ever seen...& it bloomed a month late.

BTW...just my luck, the lady of the house was sitting on her deck. I got down right away & said out loud, "Yeah...looks like a lilac." & vamoosed. She didn't say anything.

I am no expert, but it sure looks like a white lilac. My purple lilac always blooms about a month after everybody elses and I have no idea why. One year I thought I wasn't going to get anything, but I did, just late.

Tina, have you bothered to ask the owner? I find that when I brag on someone's flowers and such they start gushing about their gardens. You might give it a try.

-1bigsteve (o:

It seems to me that the flowers are too large for lilacs and the clusters too profuse and loose.

Just looking at this after ten years and change! Did anyone figure out what kind of tree this was?

After ten years, I now wonder if it may be an Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac.

(Click on image to enlarge)


Source for picture: http://tinyurl.com/y8wacsat

What do you think, Constantine?

Just looked at this page on Wikipedia. Looks like that may be it. What do you think, Judy?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_reticulata

By golly, Constantine, I think that's it!!! The leaves and blossoms appear to be the same as in the image that Tina-Kate posted. A google search showed the Japanese Tree Lilac can apparently be shaped into a bush or a tree. Pretty cool!

QED!

(I wonder why it's called a "tree lilac." Aren't most lilacs trees?)

Apparently there are lilac trees and lilac brushes; depending on the variety one is observing:


Check out these web sites: http://tinyurl.com/yaqryxzf and http://tinyurl.com/y7zuzmw2

Okay. Not arguing with you, but I've never heard anything described as a "bush lilac." Also, the same species can be either. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringa_vulgaris.)

Oh, I knew you weren't arguing with me. I apologize for not stating that I have never heard of a "tree lilac", nor have I ever heard of a "bush lilac". I wonder if the different varieties are so named to alert the seller of the kind a person wants to purchase? Just a thought.

This is a good discussion!

Absolutely no apology necessary. That does seem like a good explanation.

Yes it is! I wonder how much longer we can keep it up, though.

I can't think of any other explanation for why this bush/tree is called a "bush lilac" or "tree lilac", can you?