Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Syringa x hyacinthiflora 'Mount Baker'
Mount Baker Lilac
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Height
- 10 to 12 ft
- Width
- 10 to 12 ft
- Flower color
- White, very fragrant flower clusters
- Foliage color
- Deciduous medium green leaves, often turning purplish to reddish-purple in fall
- Bloom time
- Early to mid spring
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; prune lightly to shape after flowering
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 2 to 7
- Wildlife
- Fragrant blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
About this plant
Syringa x hyacinthiflora 'Mount Baker' is an early-blooming lilac that flowers in mid spring, often a week or more before common lilacs. Large, fragrant panicles of pure white, single florets open from creamy buds and cover the branch tips. Fresh green, heart-shaped leaves follow quickly and can develop a purple cast in fall, keeping the plant ornamental after bloom.
'Mount Baker' is part of the hyacinthiflora lilacs, a hybrid group created from crosses between Syringa oblata and Syringa vulgaris. This cultivar is credited to Frank L. Skinner of Dropmore, Manitoba, and is widely noted as being introduced in 1961. It is valued for heavy early flowering, clean foliage, and a graceful, upright shrub form.
Works well in
Sun Gardens · Hedging & Privacy · Fragrant Gardens · Pollinator Gardens
Companion plants
Tulips · Bluebeard · Feverfew · Larkspur · Sea thrifts · Beautyberry
Design tip
Capitalize on ‘Mount Baker’s’ broad, upright form by giving it a visually substantial role in the garden. Its abundant white spring flowers provide an early focal point, while purplish fall foliage brings renewed interest to the same area later.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.
