PlantFiles: Common Lilac, French Lilac
Syringa vulgaris

They have very nice fragrance - they tend to be more often planted in the North part of the Eastern United States - from personal observation - there are a somewhat invisible line somewhere from southern Missouri through Kentucky and then curves north to southern Pennsylvanica where lilacs are more common north of that line while Crape Myrtle are more common south of that line. Out west, it becomes more fuzzy - mainly confined to the Northern Rockies Mountains with islands further down then a narrow belt in Oregon and Washington State.

The main negative factor is that they are very vulnerable to powdery mildrew - a white fuzz often develops on their leaves by mid summer and it is lethal to some young suckerlings that grows beneath the mature plants but not for those who grows on the edge and get enough sun. They are also possible a death trap for birds trying to raise youths in my personal observation - they may appear to be thick and provide security for birds but due to their wider branching, thin stems, and ability to flex over a large portion of the bush, so they literally shake the nest to pieces during high winds or throw babies to the ground and also make the nests vulnerable to blue jays and other small animals who preys on eggs and youths (cats and other similar body animals can't get to the nest - branches are too weak for them).

I have many speciments planted - they require a certain amount of sunlight to hit enough leaves to bloom - in shade they grows slower and have smaller leaves - unless trimmed by an expert (I am not one) they don't make good screencovers in partial shade to shady locations. They will make very heavy amounts of flowers and have much less mildrew if they are planted where they get at least 6 hours of sun which also coindence means that they get drier and stronger winds that lower the amount of mildrews.

They are also grown in both very old (even long gone houses - if you see common lilac and there is no house around then there were once one nearby - common lilac can't seed itself and only sucker a small distance from the parent plant but is very tough) and houses a few years old have them - the young suckering plants are easily dug up by serving the thick root connection to the parent plant and transplanted but must be constantly watered - they have very few fine hairs.

we bought two of these 3 years ago in the fall. the first year, only one bush put two clusters of blooms, the next year, i transplanted them, and none bloomed, i was really bumbed:( but this spring, they are puting out many new clusters of flowers, and on one, 1 foot by 1 foot bush, i counted over 30 clusters of flowers! I cant wait to see what it looks like in full bloom!

While many seem to enjoy this scent. Many of us are very allergic to lilacs. They not do not smell good to us but can cause lots of problems. I just want to suggest planting a crepe myrtle instead of a lilac. They are much prettier, bloom all summer, 9 months in my area. They come in many colors including all the purples. Since they don't smell they won't potentially make you and others sick.

We have had about a dozen lilacs growning around our property for the past twenty years. This past spring they bloomed exceptionally well and the scent was heavenly. I was able to pick large bouquets and combine the lilacs with bunches of yellow roses...quite a showy combination! I always think of Louis May Alcott's UNDER THE LILACS story when I see lilacs. Such a totally attractive plant...visually and sensually.

I got a few shovels of purple lilac root starts 2 years ago from our neighbor's overgrown Lilac. Now we have a dozen Lilac bushes growing in clumps along our fence line. I'd like to add yellow, red, blue, pink, white & the traditional lilac to the property. How could one have too many lilac shrubs? They are a no maintenance plant except you may find it beneficial to dig up new root starts every other year or so to stop the plant from spreading too much.

One of my most fond memories as a child was the
oh-so-sweet smell of Lilac coming from the neighbor's
home next door.

Though I was later transplanted from New York to
New Mexico, around the map and finally landing in
Oklahoma, I knew I would have a Lilac of my own one day.

Cutting to the chase, you have to water your Lilac or
it won't make it. Silly me, I plunked a Lilac out in the
middle of the side yard and waited. And waited. But
at the time I didn't realize how important it was to water
in and keep your young plants watered. All throughout
the year, not just the 'growing' season, as all year is a
growing season for some things.

This year, my Lilac looks better than ever. I can't help
but to stick my face into the cluster of blooms and
inhale deeply. When the plants mature, you can smell
the fragrance from a good distance, a very heavy and
sweet, but pleasant smell.

I've taken additional cuttings in order to plant more of
them about our gardens.

A must have in the garden, indeed.

Karen Marie

I was told that lilacs probably wouldn't do well in KY but my 2 year old bush (started from a sprout brought down from NH) is now about 5' high and has several buds that hopefully will blossom later this spring.

There's nothing like the scent of lilacs! Make sure and do any pruning as the blooms fade or just after, or else you cut the next year's blooms off. To rejuvenate old bushes, cut back a third of the oldest wood to the ground each year. Don't cut all of the short growth back unless you want all of your blooms up high. My information says that it is hardy in zones 3-8 and that it is okay in partial sun. Stratification aids germination of seeds.

I have very fond and fragrant memories of lilacs from my childhood in Central Indiana. However, I have never heard of dividing the rootball to propagate; I have heard of separating rooted shoots, when one to two feet tall, from the mother plant's roots and of rooting etiolated (blanched by mounding soil or mulch around the shoot) shoots from the roots. New colors, cultivars, can be obtained from seeds.

This plant does very well here, providing the buds don't get froze by a late frost. I grew up in a house surrounded on three sides of the lot by lilac hedges, 100' long on each side. My mom still lives there and the lilacs still bloom profusely (weather permitting ) with virtually no care. They get out of hand on the drive-way side of the property and have to be severely cut back every couple of years inorder to get out of the car on the driver's side. The other sides of the lot haven't been trimmed in years and could probably use it ( we moved there in '63, and the bushes had been there since ~40's-50'ish). Many of the stems have tree-like proportions, but a good trimming would undoubtably bring many more blooms. As it is, in a good year, the fragrance is enough to give you a headache! But it is a smell you will never forget .

We had lilacs when I was growing up in Michigan, but I don't know of any that grow well in Florida.

Great fragrance. Shoots sprout up nearby and can sometimes be successfully moved. These also grow wild here in Rochester, NY.

This tree was here when we moved in. It was in tree form just needed pruning round the skirt of it. Flowers mostly on the top now, but lots of them with lots of fragrance. I can smell it in my bedroom window. It is about 8-9 feet tall, it gets partial sun and we have only just pruned it. We didn't know what it was when we moved in, as it was summer time, and we saw its first bloom this spring, short bloom. So now that we know what it is we pruned it and will feed it for I think the first time it ever got fed. Greta color lilac and great glossy green leaves. Zone 6 - NE

Received as a very small offshoot from "wild" lilacs in Illinois, after five years it is eight feet tasll and blooms nicely here in Los Angeles, California. Full sun, well drained slightly alkaline soil, regularly fed and wateed. Suckers heavily. Too short a bloom period in late spring. Lovely aroma. Good cut flower.

Lilac is one of the most notable fragrances grown in the common garden. A single sprig can scent an entire room.

A suckering shrub, it can be trained into a tree form if desired. Most cultivars require cold to flower, southern gardeners whose winters are mild may have better success with other species.