![]() |
Common Lilac |
![]() |
Lilac |
![]() |
French Lilac |
Plant Habit: | Shrub |
Life cycle: | Perennial |
Sun Requirements: | Full Sun Full Sun to Partial Shade |
Water Preferences: | Mesic |
Soil pH Preferences: | Neutral (6.6 – 7.3) Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8) Moderately alkaline (7.9 – 8.4) |
Minimum cold hardiness: | Zone 2 -45.6 °C (-50 °F) to -42.8 °C (-45°F) |
Maximum recommended zone: | Zone 8b |
Plant Height: | 10-15 feet |
Plant Spread: | 6-12 feet |
Leaves: | Deciduous |
Flowers: | Showy Fragrant Blooms on old wood |
Flower Color: | Lavender Pink Purple |
Bloom Size: | Under 1" |
Flower Time: | Spring Late spring or early summer |
Underground structures: | Taproot |
Suitable Locations: | Xeriscapic |
Uses: | Windbreak or Hedge Cut Flower |
Wildlife Attractant: | Bees Birds Butterflies Hummingbirds |
Propagation: Other methods: | Division Stolons and runners |
Pollinators: | Moths and Butterflies Bees |
Containers: | Not suitable for containers |
Does xeriscapic mean boring and dry looking? Absolutely not! You'll never believe what beautiful blooms are available for the non-irrigated landscape. Come in and see.
(Full article • no comments)
(2)
Posted by Skiekitty (Denver Metro - Zone 5a) on Feb 28, 2013 2:28 PM Never trim this plant in the fall/winter. If you do, you will not get blooms the following year. Always, if you need to trim, do so right after it blooms in late spring/early summer. This plant blooms ONLY on old-wood, never new growth. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Apr 1, 2012 3:53 PM Honey bees get nectar and pollen from this plant. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by Catmint20906 (Maryland - Zone 7a) on Aug 1, 2014 8:48 PM Syringa vulgaris is a larval host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and the Spicebush Swallowtail Butterflies. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Mar 5, 2019 7:44 PM The Common Lilac is native to southeast Europe and Asia Minor. It is a very common and well-known shrub in the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, the Northeast, and the northern part of the South USA. While there are a large number of cultivars based on a range of flower colors from white to pink to magenta to various shades of purple, including blue-purple, and including single to double flowers, it is still the regular, light purple, single flowered, straight species that is sold the most from conventional nurseries, and then single white as the second most bought. This is the species that has the best, strongest fragrance and that makes a good cut flower. This upright, tall shrub can be trained to be more tree-like or more bushy depending on pruning methods. An older plant can be rejuvenated by cutting it low to the ground in early spring, though it will take a few years to re-bloom. It normally gets a lot of mildew on the foliage in late summer and early fall, and no fall color. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by robertduval14 (Mason, New Hampshire - Zone 5b) on Apr 16, 2013 8:24 PM New Hampshire's state flower. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by Newyorkrita (North Shore, Long Island, NY ) on Oct 13, 2013 7:32 PM While the shrubs themselves are not overly pretty, nothing beats the scent of the spring blooms. [ Reply to this comment | |
vanillabright | On March 11, 2016 | Bloomed Buds on plant closest to house. |
vanillabright | On March 2, 2016 | Plant emerged Both Lilacs budding |
Chillybean | On April 25, 2015 | Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc) Killed by chopping it down before the next stinkers bloomed. Replaced with a native Serviceberry. |
Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
---|---|---|
What a beautiful photo by vic | Jan 26, 2012 3:57 PM | 2 |
Oh I can just smell it!! by Dutchlady1 | Apr 21, 2012 11:56 AM | 4 |
ŠeŘÍk by bamira | Sep 19, 2014 10:08 AM | 1 |
Pruning and other observations by jsf67 | Jan 29, 2017 12:53 PM | 0 |
Cat with red t-shirt by webesemps | Jun 28, 2017 8:58 PM | 23 |
name of this vine by sj6x | May 13, 2020 1:36 AM | 11 |
Plant identification by Irka12345 | Apr 16, 2020 6:48 AM | 4 |
Plant ID - Lilac by lee30bmw | Apr 25, 2019 4:15 PM | 2 |
Banner for March 8, 2019 by TBGDN by TBGDN | Mar 9, 2019 7:44 AM | 16 |
Unknown bush by tinypiney | Aug 25, 2018 6:05 AM | 2 |
What species is this? 34 (Binomial name please) by NightCrow | Jun 21, 2018 7:34 PM | 14 |
What type of flower is this? by Heatherb413 | May 27, 2018 6:07 AM | 3 |
Osmanthus? by Galanthophile | May 22, 2018 11:50 PM | 2 |
Syringa vulgaris Edmond About by csandt | May 14, 2018 10:01 PM | 1 |
Syringa vulgaris Edmond Bossier by csandt | May 14, 2018 10:02 PM | 1 |
« Add a new plant to the database
» Search the Lilacs Database: by characteristics or by cultivar name
« See the general plant entry for Lilacs (Syringa)