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Lilac

Syringa selections
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
see slideshow
(Syringa vulgaris 'Angel White') bears large trusses of strongly fragrant white flowers. This selection tolerates heat better than most. It grows 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Zones 3-9
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(Syringa 'Penda') is a recent selection that offers clusters of fragrant purple flowers in spring, then again from summer to fall. It grows 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Zones 3-7
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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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(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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Garden Plans
Fragrant Garden 2
Easy-Care Summer-Blooming Shade Garden Plan
Propagation
Stem Cuttings

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Comments
Comments (13)
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pntldy923461 wrote:

I love in Southern California, my lilac is a climber, i root cut it and trim the branches after it finishes blooming, also add i can of apple juice around the roots, and the vine is beautiful. betty

1/12/2012 09:06:32 PM Report Abuse
hwebbsite wrote:

my common lilac is putting out winged stems; why?

1/10/2012 01:12:49 PM Report Abuse
mced1966 wrote:

Does anyone know the name/variety of lilac that is very deep purple? I have seen them but have not been able to find out their name.

1/8/2012 08:15:32 PM Report Abuse
shejeeper wrote:

My lilac bush developed areas where it browned out starting at the end of summer and going on until the start of fall. I trimmed back the areas which appeared to be dead, any advice on how to prevent this from happening again? We had an extremely dry summer but I watered regularly.

11/4/2011 11:47:41 AM Report Abuse
anonymous wrote:

I have a lilac growing in a container and am wondering if I should bring it in when the weather gets really cold. Also when would be a good time to transplant this 2 yr old lilac into the ground or a larger container? any feed back on this issue would be deeply appreciated. Thanks. Connie.

10/22/2011 01:05:57 AM Report Abuse
cjca07 wrote:

I'd like to hear from anyone who has tried lalc varieties in the South Georgia/Florida coastal plain. I'm originally from New England, and the smell of lilacs in the spring rain is one of the things I miss most. If I could grow a lilac near my window here in the South, I would ask nothing more from this dear sweet earth.

10/20/2011 12:27:53 PM Report Abuse
thnisilvia1 wrote:

Try applying bone meal in the soil around the roots in Sept. I did that last year after no blooms last summer.

5/24/2011 01:23:04 PM Report Abuse
Nancy.Rose wrote:

I have several planted. The green on the plants look very hardy but they have not bloomed and they are now two years old. What should I do?

4/1/2011 10:14:35 AM Report Abuse
doritad wrote:

What about growing lilacs in the south, Georgia specifically ?

3/2/2011 01:16:37 PM Report Abuse
garfield919 wrote:

Prune lilacs just after the flowers fade. If you wait too long, you will sacrifice next year's blooms, because they start setting the buds for the next year's flowers soon after they finish blooming. And you are right to prune them. Any stem that is more than 2" in diameter should be cut back to the ground. If they aren't pruned, eventually you will have tall branches with blooms only at the top.

2/27/2011 07:26:15 AM Report Abuse
rosesc wrote:

when is a good time to trim lilac bushes

1/20/2011 11:25:12 AM Report Abuse
EricLiskey wrote:

As you can see from the hardiness ratings above, lilacs are very hardy, some down to Zone 2 (that's 40-50 degrees below!) For other shrubs, just check the hardiness zones listed in this plant encyclopedia. The lower the zone rating, the more cold-hardy it is. Click on the Regional Gardening tab for more info about climate and hardiness.

1/5/2011 09:55:41 AM Report Abuse
orchlon_05 wrote:

I have a question. Does lilac grow in cold country? How can i find shrubs that i can grow in countries?

11/13/2010 10:50:05 AM Report Abuse
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