Lilac

Evocative of childhood memories, lilac fragrance need not mean making room for a large, leggy plant in your landscape. These days, there are some new dwarf lilacs to choose from. If you have the space, the old-fashioned common lilac can provide a lush, green screen when out of bloom or can be pruned and trained into a charming small tree.

But for flower borders and containers, the dwarf Korean lilac and other newer hybrids bring lilac perfume up close. All lilacs prefer a sunny site with well-drained soil that's neutral to alkaline pH.

Light:

Sun

Zones:

2-9

Plant Type:

Shrub

Plant Height:

3-30 feet tall

Plant Width:

To 20 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Beds & Borders, Privacy

Special Features:

Flowers, Attractive Foliage, Fragrant, Fall Color, Cut Flowers, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Dwarf Korean lilac

(Syring meyeri 'Palibin') is a compact variety that grows 4-6 feet tall and wide, with small, dark green foliage. It blooms early, bearing fragrant panicles of light lavender-pink flowers. Zones 4-7
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Edith Cavell lilac

(Syringa vulargaris 'Edith Cavell') bears large clusters of double, creamy-white flowers in spring. It grows 25 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-8
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Frederick Law Olmstead lilac

(Syringa vulgaris 'Frederick Law Olmstead') bears dense panicles of single white flowers on a shrub growing 22 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-8
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George Eastman lilac

(Syringa julianae 'George Eastman') is a dwarf type that grows 6 feet tall and wide and produces loose clusters of long, tubular deep pink florets from wine-red buds. Zones 2-7
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Ivory Silk tree lilac

(Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk') is a small tree (12 feet tall and 6 feet wide) bearing panicles of sweet-smelling creamy-white flowers in early to midsummer. Young plants feature a reddish bark. Zones 4-7
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Miss Kim lilac

(Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim') is a dwarf, late-blooming lilac, to 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide that produces erect clusters of pale lilac-blue flowers. Zones 5-8.
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Mount Baker lilac

(Syringa hyacinthiflora 'Mount Baker') is an early flowering variety with broad leaves that deepen to purple in fall and large, single white flowers. It grows 15 feet tall and wide. Zones 3-7
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Pocahontas lilac

(Syringa hyacinthiflora 'Pocahontas') is an early flowering type with broad leaves and large flower spikes composed of richly scented, deep purple florets. It grows 15 feet tall and wide. Zones 3-7
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President Lincoln lilac

(Syringa vulgaris 'President Lincoln') bears single, deep purple flowers that are very fragrant on a shrub that grows 22 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-8
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Saugeana lilac

(Syringa x chinensis 'Saugeana') bears slightly nodding clusters of fragrant reddish purple flowers in late spring. It grows 15 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-8
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Sensation lilac

(Syringa vulgaris 'Sensation') is a fast-growing shrub that bears spikes of single lavender flowers edged in white that shine from a distance. It grows 22 feet tall and wide. Zones 4-8
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