Spectacular Blooms Distinguish the Common Lilac Bush
Don’t let the name fool you. There’s nothing ordinary about the blooms this centuries-long favorite produces
Cold-winter gardeners who look longingly at the wide array of flowering plants available to gardeners in warmer climes, don’t despair. You can lay claim to what is arguably one of the loveliest and most fragrant plants of all time, a plant that loves a good cold winter: the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris). While this plant’s season of glory is short, lilac lovers everywhere will agree that it makes up for its short flowering period with its spectacular blooms.
Benefits and tolerances: Its flowers are among the most fragrant in the plant world, and attract birds and butterflies; low-maintenance once established; loves cold weather.
Seasonal interest: Intense, if short, flowering season in May; early- and late-blooming species can extend the season
When to plant: Plant container or bare-root plants in fall or spring.
Seasonal interest: Intense, if short, flowering season in May; early- and late-blooming species can extend the season
When to plant: Plant container or bare-root plants in fall or spring.
Distinguishing traits. It can’t be said enough: Flowers and fragrance are the reasons to plant this beauty. The spectacular blooms are, in reality, cone-shaped clusters of small individual flowers that appear for about two weeks after the leaves have formed. Colors range from light lavender to a range of pink, purple, blue and white shades.
Once the plants have finished blooming, these deciduous multistemmed plants with dark green foliage make a fine foil for other plants in the garden.
Once the plants have finished blooming, these deciduous multistemmed plants with dark green foliage make a fine foil for other plants in the garden.
How to use it. Treat lilac as a specimen plant to show off the blooms; planting near windows will allow you to enjoy both the flowers and the aroma inside and outside. You can also include it as a shrub in a border or plant several in a row as a hedge or screen from summer to fall.
Pick blooms to use indoors or bring in branches to force in early spring if you can’t wait.
Pick blooms to use indoors or bring in branches to force in early spring if you can’t wait.
Planting notes. Plant in rich, neutral to slightly alkaline soil that drains well and gets full sun. It won’t do well in lawns but is fine in other spots in the garden. It also isn’t fond of very hot, humid climates, such as those in the Deep South in the United States.
Lilacs are slow to get started, so expect to wait at least a year, and more likely up to three or more years, for blooming to start. Provide about an inch of water per week during the growing season — more if you live in a hot, dry area. Add compost and a handful of balanced fertilizer to the soil around the plant in early spring.
The most likely problems you’ll encounter are slugs, snails, powdery mildew and leaf-roll necrosis. All are unsightly but don’t really harm the plant.
Lilacs are slow to get started, so expect to wait at least a year, and more likely up to three or more years, for blooming to start. Provide about an inch of water per week during the growing season — more if you live in a hot, dry area. Add compost and a handful of balanced fertilizer to the soil around the plant in early spring.
The most likely problems you’ll encounter are slugs, snails, powdery mildew and leaf-roll necrosis. All are unsightly but don’t really harm the plant.
Keeping it blooming. Lilacs generally need just a little bit of shaping and dead wood removal right after the blooms have faded in summer. This is also a good time to cut weak wood back to where the wood is stronger, especially on younger plants. Deadheading the plants may also increase the next year’s bloom.
If blooms are beginning to get smaller, it’s time to do more serious pruning. After removing dead or weak wood, cut back about a third of the oldest canes to the ground. The next year, cut back about half of the remaining oldest canes to the ground. The third year, remove the remaining oldest canes, cutting them back to the ground. This rejuvenates the plant while preserving its height and blooms.
If the plant is not doing well at all, or if you’re desperate (or impatient), you can cut the entire plant back to about 8 to 10 inches above the ground. However, you probably won’t get blooms again for another three to five years.
If blooms are beginning to get smaller, it’s time to do more serious pruning. After removing dead or weak wood, cut back about a third of the oldest canes to the ground. The next year, cut back about half of the remaining oldest canes to the ground. The third year, remove the remaining oldest canes, cutting them back to the ground. This rejuvenates the plant while preserving its height and blooms.
If the plant is not doing well at all, or if you’re desperate (or impatient), you can cut the entire plant back to about 8 to 10 inches above the ground. However, you probably won’t get blooms again for another three to five years.
Other Lilac Selections
For warmer climates. If you garden in USDA Zone 9 and long for a lilac, there are some options. Your best bets are the hybrids between common lilacs and Chinese lilacs, sold as S. x hyacinthiflora. The most well-known of these are the Descanso hybrids, developed for Southern California winters. Favorite varieties include ‘White Angel’, ‘California Rose’, ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Lavender Lady’.
For warmer climates. If you garden in USDA Zone 9 and long for a lilac, there are some options. Your best bets are the hybrids between common lilacs and Chinese lilacs, sold as S. x hyacinthiflora. The most well-known of these are the Descanso hybrids, developed for Southern California winters. Favorite varieties include ‘White Angel’, ‘California Rose’, ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Lavender Lady’.
For more blooms. If two weeks of bloom is just too short, consider adding the early-blooming S. x hyacinthiflora lilac hybrid mentioned above.
Growers and plant breeders are also beginning to introduce hybrids that produce a second bloom.
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Common names: Common lilac, lilac, French lilac
Origin: Common lilac originated in eastern Europe; most were first imported to North America from France
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 3 to 8; find your zone)
Water requirement: Moderate water; at least an inch a week in summer
Light requirement: Full sun for at least 6 hours a day
Mature size: From 5 to 20 feet tall and wide