Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Syringa vulgaris ‘Miss Ellen Willmott’
Miss Ellen Willmott Lilac
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Height
- 10 to 15 ft
- Width
- 8 to 12 ft
- Flower color
- Creamy white, double, highly fragrant flower clusters; opening from greenish buds
- Foliage color
- Medium to dark green, broadly heart-shaped leaves
- Bloom time
- Mid to late spring
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low to moderate; prune immediately after flowering to shape and remove spent clusters
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Wildlife
- Fragrant blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
About this plant
Syringa vulgaris 'Miss Ellen Willmott' is a French-bred common lilac introduced by the Lemoine nursery in 1903 and named for the English plantswoman Ellen Willmott. In mid to late spring, greenish buds open to creamy white, fully double florets held in long, pyramidal clusters, filling the air with classic lilac fragrance.
Heart-shaped, medium green leaves create a fresh backdrop through the growing season, and the shrub's sturdy branching carries the flower trusses upright for cutting and early-season bouquets. It is also noted for good resistance to bacterial blight in many plantings. After bloom, the foliage remains neat and dense, providing a leafy screen and reliable structure through summer before dropping in autumn.
Works well in
Sun Gardens · Cottage Gardens · Fragrant Gardens · Pollinator Gardens
Companion plants
Larkspur · Windflower · Hardy mum · Fountain grass · Candytuft · Columbine
Design tip
Take advantage of the progression from greenish buds to creamy white flowers by including ‘Miss Ellen Willmott’ in a green-and-white planting scheme. Its dense double blooms provide the main spring display, while the medium-green foliage carries the simpler palette through summer.
