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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 10 to 15 ft
Width: 8 to 12 ft
Flower color: Deep violet purple
Foliage color: Deciduous medium green leaves
Bloom time: Mid 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 'City of Gresham'

City of Gresham Lilac

Syringa vulgaris 'City of Gresham' is a common lilac selection that blooms in mid to late spring with fragrant, single florets in deep purple to violet tones. Flowers open in full, upright panicles and perfume the air during warm spring afternoons and evenings. Fresh green, heart-shaped leaves follow quickly after bloom and keep the shrub looking full through summer.

'City of Gresham' is credited to the lilac hybridizing work associated with Hulda Klager in the Pacific Northwest, and it has long been linked with Gresham, Oregon, where it was later adopted as the city's official flower. It is grown for reliable spring bloom, classic fragrance, and richly colored panicles in borders and neighborhood plantings.

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Mid spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Fragrant Gardens
Pollinator Gardens

Companion plants

Peonies · Alpine mint bush · Wallflower · Pampas grass · Stonecrop · Manzanita

Design tip

Echo the deep violet-purple flowers of ‘City of Gresham’ with smaller touches of the same color elsewhere in the spring garden. Repeating the hue at different heights creates a visual connection across the planting while allowing the lilac’s large flower panicles to remain the dominant feature.