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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 10 to 15 ft
Width: 8 to 12 ft
Flower color: Clear soft pink, fragrant flower clusters
Foliage color: Medium green, heart-shaped 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 'True Pink'

True Pink Lilac

Syringa vulgaris 'True Pink' produces clear pink, fragrant flower clusters that open in mid to late spring. Buds deepen to a warmer rose tone, then loosen into tapered panicles that perfume the garden and cut well for bouquets. Leaves emerge fresh green and create a dense backdrop through summer, with a lilac outline and upright branching.

This cultivar traces to lilac breeding by Hulda Klager in Woodland, Washington, and remains associated with the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens collection.

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

Peony · Indian hawthorn · Rock Cress · Feather reed grass · Dianthus · Glossy abelia

Design tip

Make ‘True Pink’ a spring focal point along a main garden sightline, where its clear pink flower clusters can draw the eye from a distance. Its upright branching gives the shrub enough presence to remain visually grounded after flowering ends.