Melinda Myers

Common Lilac

Botanical Name

Syringa vulgaris

Min Zone

3

Max Zone

7

Height

8 to 15 feet

Width

6 to 12 feet

Flowers

May: white, cream, purple-pink, rose; fragrant

Light

Full sun

Soil

Moist, well-drained, adaptable

Planting & Care

• Prune after flowering
• Prune out older wood for improved air circulation and vigor

Problems

Powdery mildew, bacterial blight, borers, scale, frost injury

Varieties

• Sensation - bicolor, purple flowers edged in white
• Lavender Lady - very fragrant, profuse flowers
• Katherine Havemeyer - good pink flowering type, 12 feet
• Charles Joy - purple buds that open to magenta flowers
• President Lincoln - flowers close to true blue