As long as the pots are large enough. Use John Innes No3 compost in them as it won't decompose as peat-based composts do. A mature Korean lilac in the ground can be 5ft tall so use this as a guide to the size of pot. Make sure you pot it up 'in situ' as JI compost is heavy!

Thanks very much Volunteer! I do have one quite large pot (18" tall, 12" wide), but maybe I will try to find a sunny spot in a border for one of the shrubs.

I've always had good results with Gro-Sure potting compost, so will see if I can compare its make-up with John Innes No3 which I've never used.

Saw a GC with 50% off pots I think its wyevale.....

Thanks Pam, I'll check it out.