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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 10 to 15 ft
Width: 8 to 12 ft
Flower color: Pale creamy-yellow to white, fragrant flower clusters
Foliage color: Deciduous medium green leaves
Bloom time: Mid to late spring
Light: Full sun
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Moderate; prune immediately after flowering to shape and remove spent clusters
Growing zone: USDA zones 3 to 8
Wildlife: Fragrant blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators

Shrubs

Syringa vulgaris 'Primrose'

Primrose Lilac

Syringa vulgaris 'Primrose' is known for its creamy yellow buds that open to softly fragrant, single florets in dense spring panicles. The color often starts a pale primrose yellow and can mellow toward creamy white as the trusses age, while heart-shaped green leaves provide a clean backdrop through the growing season.

Selected in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands, it entered cultivation in 1949 as a natural mutation and became widely grown.

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

Holly · Daisy bush · Tulips · Pineapple lily · Salvias · Rose campion

Design tip

Play up ‘Primrose’s’ unusual coloring with deep green foliage nearby. The contrast makes its creamy yellow buds and pale primrose flowers more noticeable, while the blossoms’ gradual fade toward creamy white creates subtle color variation throughout the spring display.