The Ornamental Plant Breeding Program at Oregon State University is attempting to create a better re-blooming lilac and make it more blight resistant.
“We want a really good re-bloomer,” said Ryan Contreras, an associate professor of ornamental plant breeding at OSU.
“(Lilacs) bloom in early spring, and they bloom again in summer,” Contreras said. However, not all varieties re-bloom, and the idea is to create a variety that consistently re-blooms.
To achieve that goal, Contreras said researchers have gene-sequenced the plants and rated them based on how many flowers appear on each shrub when they re-bloom.