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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 8 to 15 ft
Width: 6 to 12 ft
Flower color: Purple to violet-purple florets with white-edged petals, 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 7
Wildlife: Fragrant blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators

Shrubs

Syringa vulgaris 'Sensation'

Sensation Lilac

Syringa vulgaris 'Sensation' blooms in mid to late spring with large, conical trusses of sweetly fragrant florets. Buds open to deep purple-red, and each petal is cleanly edged in white, creating a crisp two-tone effect throughout the panicle. Heart-shaped green leaves emerge as flowers peak, keeping the shrub looking full and fresh after bloom.

Introduced in 1938 in the Netherlands by Dirk EveleensMaarse, 'Sensation' became famous as an early bicolor common lilac.

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Mid to late spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Fragrant Gardens
Pollinator Gardens

Companion plants

Camas · Mexican orange blossom · Bee balm · Maiden grass · Sea thrift · Flowering quince

Design tip

Allow ‘Sensation’s’ distinctive bicolor flowers to provide the pattern in a spring planting, keeping nearby blooms relatively simple. Solid white, purple, or green companions reinforce its palette without competing with the crisp white edging that makes each floret so distinctive.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)