Question
I live in west central Wisconsin.  Spring has arrived early this year and I have noticed on several of our lilac bushes that the leaf buds look like they dried out before or just as they started to open into leaf.  Many of the flower buds on these bushes look like they dried out before ever blooming.  The remaining leaves have now fully opened and look fine and we still await the flowers opening, as of this writing.  What could have happened?  Could the warm weather have encouraged early budding and then some colder nights killed them?  I've never before seen this on lilacs.

Answer
Hi Nancy:

A drop in temperatures can indeed injury tender parts of a plant that are in the process of "coming out of hibernation" in the spring. This injury can reduce number of blooms, but probably not impact the overall health of the tree, especially if it is well established in the landscape. Spring is my favorite time of the year- my parents use to say that spring is nature's way of starting all over again.  Sometimes a cold snap can surprise us though.

Enjoy the season!

Steve