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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 12 to 20 ft
Width: 8 to 15 ft
Flower color: Purple, lavender, pink, white, and bi-colored forms, typically fragrant
Foliage color: Medium green, 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

Shrubs

Syringa vulgaris

Common Purple Lilac

Syringa vulgaris, commonly called common lilac, is a deciduous shrub native to the rocky hills of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. It forms a framework of gray-brown stems with opposite, heart-shaped leaves that create a full summer canopy and open, airy branching in winter. It has been grown in temperate gardens for centuries.

In mid to late spring, dense terminal panicles open into dozens of small, four-lobed, intensely fragrant flowers, usually in lilac-purple tones but also appearing in white, pink, and deeper purples in garden selections.

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Mid to late spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Hedging & Privacy
Fragrant Gardens
Pollinator Gardens

Companion plants

Poppies · Milkweed · Bee balm · Feather reed grass · Rock cress · Alpine mint bush

Design tip

Frame a garden view with common lilac rather than treating it only as a background shrub. Its substantial height and classic spring flowers can define the side of a lawn, path, or sitting area, while leaving the center of the view open and drawing the eye deeper into the garden.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)