Syringa x hyacinthiflora 'Esther Staley'

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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 8 to 12 ft
Width: 6 to 10 ft
Flower color: Lavender-pink fragrant flower panicles
Foliage color: Deciduous medium green leaves
Bloom time: Mid to late spring
Light: Full sun to part shade
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Low; prune lightly to shape after flowering
Growing zone: USDA zones 3 to 7
Wildlife: Fragrant blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators

Shrubs

Syringa x hyacinthiflora 'Esther Staley'

Esther Staley Lilac

Syringa x hyacinthiflora 'Esther Staley' is an early-blooming lilac that flowers in mid-spring, often late April into May. Reddish to purple-magenta buds open to fragrant, single flowers in lilac-pink shades, held in broadly conical panicles. Heart-shaped, mid-green leaves fill in quickly after bloom, and the shrub's upright, bushy framework keeps it substantial through the season.

This cultivar belongs to the hyacinthiflora lilacs, a hybrid group created from crosses between Syringa oblata and Syringa vulgaris, first made in France in the 1870's.

Light

Full sun to part shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Mid to late spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Fragrant Gardens
Pollinator Gardens

Companion plants

Salvias · Bottlebrush · Blazing star · Maiden grass · Candytuft · Daisy bush

Design tip

Take advantage of ‘Esther Staley’s’ upright, bushy form to bring structure to looser planting areas. Its substantial framework creates a strong vertical presence, while the early lavender-pink flowers add softness before much of the surrounding garden reaches full spring growth.