Michigan State University Extension
Ornamental Plants plus Version 3.0 - 00001423
11/12/99

Syringa vulgaris--Common Lilac


Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
Height: 15 ft Spread: 10 ft Form: irregular
Type: deciduous shrub
Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches
Flowers: purple

Comments: Common Lilac is a very common flowering shrub
that grows best in a sunny location. The plant grows in
shade but flowering is poor and powdery mildew is likely
to be severe. Powdery mildew, scales, borers and
bacterial blight, plus the regular pruning needed to
control height and suckering cause many gardeners to
become dissatisfied.

Cultivars:
'Adelaide Dunbar' - Purple flowers.
'Agincourt Beauty' - Dark purple flowers, large florets.
'Alba' - Single, white flowers.
'Albert F. Holden' - Deep violet blooms (Vis. 1) are
silvery on the reverse side of the petals giving a
bicolor effect.
'Aloise' - Single, white flowers.
'Alphonse Lavallee' - Double, blue flowers.
'Ami Schott' - Double, blue flowers with deeper tones.
'Anabel' - Double pink flowers.
'Arch McKean' - Large, single, reddish-purple flowers
are produced in large clusters (Vis. 2). Little
suckering.
'Atheline Wilbur' - Double, magenta flowers.
'Aucubaefolia' ('Dappled Dawn') - Pale lilac flowers and
gold and green foliage.
'Avalanche' - Large, single white flowers.
'Belle de Nancy' - Double, pink and lavender flowers.
'Burgundy Queen' - The single, purple flowers open 2
weeks earlier than other S. vulgaris cultivars.
'Bridal Memories' - Single white flowers.
'California Rose' - Rose-pink flowers.
'Charles Joly' - Double flowers are purple in bud then
open to magenta (Vis. 4).
'Charm' - Large flowers that are single and lilac pink.
'Clyde Heard' - The magenta flowers are preceded by red
flower buds.
'Congo' - Dark red, single flowers (Vis. 5).
'De Miribel' - Single, violet flowers with lighter tones
at the edges of the petals.
'Edith Cavell' - Large clusters of creamy buds that
open to white flowers.
'Edward J. Gardner' - Double pink flowers.
'Flora 1953' - Single, white flowers.
'Frank's Fancy' - Large, single, dark purple flowers.
'Frank Paterson' - Single, deep purplish-red flowers
on a tall plant.
'General Sheridan' - Double, white flowers on an
upright plant.
'Glory' - Large clusters of single, magenta flowers.
'Hugo Koster' - Single, reddish-purple flowers.
'Katherine Havemeyer' - Double, lavender pink flowers.
'Konigin Luise' - Single, white flowers.
'Kosmos' - Single, dark violet flowers, very fragrant.
'Krasavitsa Moskvy' (Beauty of Moscow) - Double, pale
pink flowers (Vis. 3).
'Lark Song' - A hybrid with large pink flowers. (S.
sweginzowii X S. tomentella) X S. komarowii
'Leon Gambetta' - Double, lavender flowers are produced
on vigorous plants.
'Letha E. House' - Single pink flowers.
'Lucie Baltet' - Single pink flowers (Vis. 7), a slow
growing plant.
Ludwig Spaeth ('Andenken an Ludwig Spath') - Single,
reddish-purple flowers.
'Maiden's Blush' - Pink flowers.
'Marie Finon' - Single, white flowers.
'Marie Frances' - Soft pink flowers (Vis. 8).
'Marie Legraye' - Single, white flowers.
'Marechal Foch' - Single, magenta flowers.
'Michel Buchner' - Double, lilac flowers.
'Miss Ellen Willmott' - A rounded shrub with double,
White flowers.
'Mme. Antoine Buchner' - Double, lavender pink flowers.
'Mme. Casimir Perier' - Double, white flowers.
'Mme. Lemoine' - Double, white flowers.
'Monge' - Single, reddish-purple flowers.
'Monique Lemoine' - Double, white flowers (Vis. 9).
'Monore' (Blue Skies TM) - Lavender blue flowers
produced without the need for winter chilling.
'Montaigne' - Double, pale, lilac-pink flowers.
'Mrs. Edward Harding' - Large spikes of reddish-purple
buds open to double, magenta flowers.
'Nadezhda' (Hope) - Reddish-purple flower buds open to
pale blue flowers, heavy flowering in alternate years.
'Olivier de Serres' - Double, lavender blue flowers.
'Paul Thirion' - Single, blue flowers.
'Pixie' - A dwarf form with single white flowers.
'Prairie Petite' - A dwarf reaching a height of about 4
feet. Single, pink flowers.
'President Grevy' - Double, lilac blue flowers produced
in large clusters.
'President Lincoln' - Single, blue flowers (Vis. 10).
'President Poincare' - Very large, double, purple
flowers.
'Primrose' - Creamy yellow buds open to single cream
colored flowers.
'Prodige' - Single, deep reddish-purple flowers
'Rajah' - A narrow, upright plant with dark new foliage
and wine-red flowers.
'Ruhm von Horstenstein' - Profuse production of single,
magenta flowers.
'Rochester' - Single, white flowers.
'Sarah Sands' - Single, violet purple flowers (Vis. 11).
'Sensation' - Single, purple flowers with a pure white
border.
'Slater's Elegance' - Large, single white flowers.
'Victor Lemoine' - Double, lavender flowers borne in
dense clusters.
'Vintage Wine' - Single, dark magenta flowers are
produced on upright plants.
'Volcan' - Single, dark purple flowers.
'Wedgwood Blue' - Lilac pink buds open to blue flowers
in large clusters (Vis. 12).
'White Lace' - Single, white flowers, very fragrant.
'Wonderblue' ('Little Boy Blue') - A compact plant only 5
feet tall producing single, sky blue flowers (Vis. 6).
'Yankee Doodle' - Single, very dark purple flowers.
'Zulu' - Single, violet flowers.

Reference for Cultivars: Select Plus International Nursery
1999, Bailey Nurseries 1999, Weston Nurseries 1999, Lake
County Nursery 1999, Sheridan Nurseries 1999, Monrovia
Nursery Company 1997, Princeton Nurseries 1999, J. Frank
Schmidt and Son 1999, Spring Meadow Nursery 1997, Ray
Wiegand's Nursery 1999, White Flower Farm 1999, Wayside
Gardens 1999, Moller's Nursery 1997, Miller Nurseries 1998,
Scarff's Nursery 1999, Gee Farms 1999, Willoway Nurseries
1999, Carlton Plants 1999.

The authors thank Freek Vrugtman, Lilac Registrar, Royal
Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for his
valuable input regarding the correct nomenclature and
parentage of the syringa cultivars and hybrids.



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