Huge blooms, wonderful scent.
Credit: Wally Patrick
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EmailBotanical name: Syringa
Plant type: Shrub
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3
Sun exposure: Full Sun, Part Sun
Soil type: Any
Soil pH: Neutral to Slightly Alkaline
Flower color: Red, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Purple, White
Who doesn't love lilacs? The ideal lilac shrub has about 10 canes and produces flowers at eye-level—all the better to enjoy that sweet, haunting fragrance.
Lilacs do come in seven colors but most are familiar with the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, which blooms in the northern states for 2 weeks in late May. However, there are early-, mid-, and late-season lilacs, which, when grown together, ensure a steady bloom for at least 6 weeks.
Lilacs are hardy, easy to grow, and low maintenance. They can grow from 5 to 15 feet tall, depending on the variety. The fragrant flowers are good for cutting and attractive to butterflies.
Lilac Pictures
Click slideshow below to enjoy 7 lovely lilac pictures taken by our Almanac readers!
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Planting
- Grow lilacs in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil (at a pH near 7.0). If your soil is in poor condition, add compost to enrich.
- Select a site where your lilac will get full sun—at least 6 hours. If lilacs don't get enough sun, they will not bloom well.
- Make sure the site drains well. Lilacs don't like wet feet and will not bloom with too much water.
- Plant in either spring or fall, although the latter is preferred.
- If you're lucky, a friend will give you a sucker, or offshoot, of the root system of one of his plants. Your sucker will look pathetic at first but just dig a hole, backfill it with soil, and stick the sucker in. Then water and wait. In 4 or 5 years, you'll be rewarded with huge, fragrant blossoms.
- Transplanting lilacs from a nursery is also easy. If it's container-grown, spread out the roots as you settle the plant into the ground; if it's balled or burlapped, gentle remove it and any rope before filling in the hole. Water and wait.
- Space multiple lilac shrubs 5 to 15 feet apart, depending on the variety.
Care
- Each spring, apply a layer of compost under the plant, followed by mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.
- Water during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
- Lilacs won't bloom if they're overfertilized. They can handle a handful of 10-10-10 in late winter, but no more.
- After your lilac bush has finished blooming, spread some lime and well-rotted manure around the base. Trim the bush to shape it, and remove suckers at the same time.
Pruning Lilacs
- Lilacs bloom on old wood, so it's critical to prune in the spring right after they bloom. If you prune later in the summer, you may be removing the wood. Here's a tip: If your lilac flower clusters are getting smaller, time to prune!
- Every year after bloom, remove any dead wood. Prune out the oldest canes (down to the ground). Remove the small suckers. Cut back weak branches to a strong shoot. Cut back tall canes to eye height.
- If your lilac is old and in really bad shape, remove one-third of the oldest canes (down to the ground) in year one, half of the remaining old wood in year two, and the rest of the old wood in year three. Then, following a normal pruning program (as mentioned in above point).
- Another option for an old lilac is to chop the whole thing back to about 6 or 8 inches high. It sounds drastic, but lilacs are very hardy. The downside to this option is that it takes a few years to grow back. The upside is less work and more reward, as the lilac will grow back bursting with blooms.
Pests
- Prone to attack by slugs and snails.
- Powder white mildew may appear after a summer of hot, humid weather. It may be unsightly, but it does no harm. Ignore it.
Recommended Varieties
The most common and fragrant lilacs are of the S. vulgaris variety:
- For early bloom, try 'Charles Joly', a double magneta.
- Mid-season lilacs include 'Monge', a dark reddish purple, and 'Firmament', a fine blue.
- Late-season beauties include 'Miss Canada', a reddishpink, and 'Donald Wyman', a single purple.
Although common lilacs love cold weather, a few thrive as south as Zone 9, among them the cutleaf lilac, a fragrant pale lavender. Syringa patula 'Miss Kim' is a graceful shrub with pale lilac-blue flowers that fade to white.
Special Features
- Attracts Butterflies
Wit & Wisdom
- To improve the flowering of lilacs, keep the grass from growing around them. A 16- to 24-inch circle of landscape cloth placed around the bushes and covered with bark or stone will keep the grass down.
- Force a winter bouquet from cut branches of lilac. Bruise the cut ends and set them in water. Spray the branches frequently. Keep them in a cool place until they bloom, then move to a warmer area for display.
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Poet Walt Whitman thought of lilacs when Abraham Lincoln died:
"When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd . . . I mourn'd, and yet hall mourn with ever-returning spring."
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Comments
Less Blossoms each year
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By Anonymous on May 1
Have an old lilac bush (6 to 7 feet tall)that seems to have less blossoms each year. Should it be trimmed down and if so how much and when?
Prune the bush after this
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By Almanac Staff on May 3
Prune the bush after this year's flowers have faded. Cut about 1/3 of the shrub's stems down to about 3-4 feet. That will keep the plant rejuvenated. Next year cut another 1/3 of the stems and keep doing this each year to keep the bush flourishing and manageable.
lilacs
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By Anonymous on April 29
My mother gave me sappling about 8 years ago. Two years ago, it finally had 3 blossoms on it. Then, it did not do anything until this year and boy oh boy do i have blossoms!!! My questions are why did it take so long to blosson and can I cut them to enjoy them inside?
Thank you,
Cindy
Sometimes it takes a lilac
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By Almanac Staff on May 3
Sometimes it takes a lilac bush a few years to establish and start producing lots of flowers. And yes, do cut the flowers and enjoy them inside.
lilac blooming time
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By Anonymous on April 27
In the spring, which comes first the leaves or the blossoms? I live in Georgia and am hoping for a bloom on the lilac I planted 2 years ago. Right now, end of April, it has all leafed out.
Leaves come first. If you
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By Almanac Staff on May 3
Leaves come first. If you don't see buds yet you may have to wait another year before you see any flowers. Sometimes it takes a lilac a few years to get established.
Will suckers prevent my grass from growing?
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By Anonymous on April 26
I have a suckering lilac in a large garden and I want to keep the lilac but remove the rest of the garden and put in grass all around it. I figured that to get the soil primed for grass growth I would dig up the soil all around the lilac. I have realized that I'm cutting a bunch of roots from the lilac bush, is this OK? Also, if I plant the grass will it help prevent suckers from sprouting up to the surface? Or will the suckers and the intense root system prevent my grass from growing? Many thanks.
Leave a small area around the
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By Almanac Staff on May 3
Leave a small area around the lilac without grass. Add mulch to this section to keep moisture in the soil and help keep the suckers from growing. It will also make it easier to mow the lawn around the lilac.
HELP! When to Transplant?
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By Anonymous
Hi! I have a lilac bush that is about 4 years old & hasn't ever bloomed. I planted it when it was very small (like a stick). I read your comments above about adding Lime to the soil (which I plan to do), but I think I may need to move it to a sunnier location. Is there a best time to transplant a lilac bush (i'm in IL, south of Chicago)? What about pruning, when is the best time to do that? Also, i'm not familiar with lime. Do you have a brand or type of lime I should be looking for? Thanks for your help, much appreciated!
Four years
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By Anonymous
I transplanted a sucker shoot my Mother-in-law gave me. It's about 8ft tall now & it took 4 years to get any flowers. When I saw the flowers I jumped up & down like a proud Mommy. Good luck with your transplants.
Spring or fall are the best
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By Almanac Staff
Spring or fall are the best times to transplant trees including lilacs (fall is preferred). Lilacs don't need annual pruning. Prune lilacs after they have bloomed in late spring or just remove the spent flowers. If your lilac doesn't bloom this year you can wait to prune.
Add ground limestone or hydrated/slaked lime to your soil. Good luck!
also
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By Anonymous
I also read the page above above pruning after it blooms, but if it doesn't have blooms do I prune at all and if so when & how? Thanks so much for any help i'm a new gardener & learning as I go.
Lilac not leafing out
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By Anonymous
I planted three lilacs last fall and carefully researched the needs and requirments before planting. Two have leafed out and seem to be thriving, however, the largest of the three still hasn't started to leaf out and it is mid-April here in southern illinois. I have broken a small twig off and the plant is still green inside but it is refusing to leaf out. If it's just being slow how long could it take to show signs of life?
Assuming everything else is
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By Almanac Staff
Assuming everything else is equal (soil, moisture, overwinter)—and it sounds like it is, it's hard to tell how long it could take. Certainly if your other two plants and every other one that you see in town is in leaf and this one is not, consider consulting the source from which you acquired the lilacs.
do I have a lilac or not?
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By Anonymous
A friend gave me a small lilac 10 years ago. Now is a big bush wich has little black fruit like grape type. Is this a lilac plant or not?
It would help if you told us
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By Almanac Staff
It would help if you told us where you lived. Also, you could send a photo to us at: AlmanacEditors@yankeepub.com
scent from blooms?
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By Anonymous
I received a dwarf lilac as a house warming gift and because it was in full bloom at the time (currently) , I'm greeted with that wonderful fraquence every time I reenter my apartment. Can I expect this smell after the blossoms fall?
We also love the fragrance of
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By Almanac Staff
We also love the fragrance of lilacs! The fragrance is from the blooms, so you'll have to wait until next spring. To ensure you have blooms next year, be sure to prune at the right time--AFTER flowering. Lilacs bloom on old wood. The flower buds are set during the summer for flowers the following spring. Therefore, prune within six weeks after bloom so you give your lovely lilac time to grow new wood and buds for the next spring season.
Is it OK to transplant Lilacs in Spring (in New Hampshire)
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By Anonymous
We have to burn a house to the ground. There are very mature lilacs and other flowering trees around the house that will die from the fire. We were told by a local gardener that there is no way we can salvage these plantings and we should just let them burn. Our local nursery manager told us that we could move them, but there is a chance there may be some damage and that they probably will not bloom this summer. I think its worth it to try to save them? What do you advise? Is the gardener that told us she wont move them wrong?
I had two "Miss Kim Lilac
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By Anonymous
I had two "Miss Kim Lilac Bushes" that I had for three years and they always bloomed profusely. When we moved...I dug them up and took them to my new house. The first year after replanting..I got a few flowers on each bush. But in the last two years, I haven't had one bloom. The bushes are healthy, get the right amount of sunlight and the bushes are only 6 years old. I wonder if moving them, did something to cause them not to bloom. I wish you the best of luck with your lilacs.
Based on what you have told
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By Almanac Staff
Based on what you have told us, you could try digging up the lilacs and transplanting. If they are large and old, it may be difficult; transplanting could remove part of the root system which is stressful to the plant. However, it can be done with care. Be aware that it may also take 1 to 3 years for it to recover and bloom. If you do it, the timing must be right: when they are dormant in early spring BEFORE the plant leafs out. In general, small lilacs do transplant well as long as they are not coming into leaf. We hope this helps.
Starting Lilacs in Pots
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By Anonymous
I want to start my new lilac suckers in pots to keep on my deck until they are mature enough to plant in the ground (probably 6-12 mos). What size pots, what medium, and what ammendments if any do you recommend? I live in zone 6. Thanks.
Plant the suckers in 1 gallon
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By Almanac Staff
Plant the suckers in 1 gallon pots. Use a good potting mix and keep the soil moist. You can add a root stimulator but often the suckers will start growing without any help. Good luck!
Krasavitsa Moskvy Lilac - Syringa - Beauty of Moscow
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By Anonymous
Just bought this plant today online and can't wait to get it. It is end of March and we live in Missouri. The plant will come in 2x3" pot, very small. I bought 2 of them. Can I plant them together in one big pot? Can I keep them in the pot until they grow taller- a few years? Should I use fertilizer? Thank you
A gem of a lilac! Ideally,
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By Almanac Staff
A gem of a lilac! Ideally, lilacs prefer to be planted outside to truly thrive. They can grow in pots though. In terms of fertilizer: do not overdo it. A little phosphorus is fine but nitrogen feeds foliage instead of flowers. I am unclear as to the size of your lilac but can tell you that a 4-inch container is good for starting a cutting (one per pot) and they you'd want to move to a 1-gallon container by late summer. Hope this helps.
No Blooms??
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By Anonymous
I have had my (2) Lilac bushes for 4 yrs now and they have not bloomed at all. I planted them when they were very small and now they are about 3' high with beautiful green leaves, but no Lilacs. I need to know what to do with them to get them to bloom.
See some of the advice above
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By Almanac Staff
See some of the advice above and also the questions and answers below. It may take a few years for a young lilac bush to bloom. Add some lime and compost to the soil this spring and make sure that the bushes get plenty of sun (afternoon sun is best). If the bushes are close to a lawn that is fertilized they may get too much nitrogen from the lawn fertilizer. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth.
lilac in zone 10b
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By Anonymous
I live in So. Cal, Zone 10b. Are there any lilac varieties that can do well in this climate? If not, I am looking for a purple or blue fragrant flowering plant or bush. Do you have any suggestions?
Lilacs in zone 10b
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By Anonymous
When I lived in the north bay area, north of San Francisco, I was told we need to put a bag of ice at the base of the lilac in the winter at least once, since it needs a cold season to bloom properly. I did this and my bush flowered fine.
lilacs for warm climates
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By Almanac Staff
Some lilacs (genus Syringa) are hardy to USDA Zones 8 or 9, but we haven't found any information that indicates that these would flourish in Zone 10. We suppose that it might be possible for lilacs hardy to Zone 9 to get by in a protected area of Zone 10, given the right conditions. However, we'd suggest that you contact your county's Cooperative Extension to find out if there are certain cultivars that can survive in your area.
As an alternative, there is a bush called "California lilac," which is actually a different genus called "Ceanothus." These have fragrant flowers which resemble those of Syringa lilacs. There are a few species and cultivars of Ceanothus available that do fine in Zone 10. The Cooperative Extension or a local nursery should be able to recommend varieties that will thrive in your area.
To find contact information for your Cooperative Extension, see:
http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services
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