Fragrant Lilac

Syringa vulgaris

Light Purple or Lavender Flowers
Garden Flower because of Long-Lasting Blooms
Early Spring Blooming
Extremely Hardy Shrub
Often Used for Hedges, Screens, or Individual Landscape Shrub
Grows 8' to 15' High with a 6' to 12' Spread
Can't Ship To: AK, AZ, HI
Thrives in zones 3 - 7

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Zones 3 - 7

Hardiness Zones: Zones 3 - 7
The Fragrant Lilac can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

flowering tree

Type of tree:
The Fragrant Lilac falls into the following type(s): Flowering Trees, Shrubs

8' - 15' High

Mature Height:
The Fragrant Lilac grows to be 8' - 15' feet in height.

6' - 12' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Fragrant Lilac has a spread of about 6' - 12' at full maturity.

Medium Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a medium growth rate. [More about this.]

Multiple Exposures

Sun:
This lilac does well in full sun, partial shade.

Various Soils

Soil:
The common lilac grows well in acidic, alkaline, moist, sandy, well drained soils.

Rounded Shape

Shape:
This lilac has rounded shape.

More Info

Attributes:
Spectacular flowers with a fine fragrance make this old time lilac a garden favorite. It is as popular today as it ever was. The lilac colored flowers with their nostalgic aroma add to the "coming of spring. "It is an extremely hardy shrub. The lilac can be used as an individual specimen plant, informal hedges, shrub borders, windbreaks, and screens. It is a good cut flower to force for indoor use.

Wildlife Value:
attracts butterflies

History/Lore/Use:
The common lilac is a native of southeastern Europe. Lilac is an old English word that has its roots in the Arabic word layak and the Persian word nilak, from nil meaning "blue." The genus name syringa means "tube" in Greek which refers to the individual flower shape. It has been cultivated since 1563. Hundreds of cultivars have been developed since that time. The French hybrids are cultivars of the common lilac. The "French" comes from Victor Lemoine whose nursery in France produced a great many of these hybrids. Purple lilacs signify the first emotions of love while white lilacs symbolize modesty, purity, and youth.

Leaves:
The leaves are opposite, simple, ovate, 2"-5" wide, dark green to bluish green in summer, no significant fall color.

Flower Color:
Very fragrant, light purple, 1/2" florets borne in 4"-8" panicles usually in pairs on previous year's growth.

Bloom Time:
late spring.

Spectacular flowers in shades of lilac, light purple, or lavender make this old-time lilac a garden favorite. The long-lasting flower clusters bloom in April or May and are framed with lush green foliage. It is as popular today as it ever was. Their nostalgic fragrance adds to the "coming of spring." Lilac is an extremely hardy shrub and can be used as an individual specimen plant, informal hedge, shrub border, windbreak, or screen. Tolerates many soil types and does well in full sun or partial shade. Grows 8'-15' high with a 6'-12' spread.

		Spring Shipping		Fall Shipping
Color	Zone	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline
	2	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	3	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	4	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	5	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	6	03/19–05/12	05/07	11/01–12/03	11/19
	7	03/11–05/07	04/30	11/05–12/10	11/26
	8	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	9	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	10	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26

We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, HI , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

	Standard		Dwarf
	Mature Height	Space Needed	Mature Height	Space Needed
Apple	20' - 25'	35' x 35'	10' **	10' x 10' ++
Peach	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry	30'	20' x 25'	12' - 15'	10' x 10'
Sour Cherry	20'	20' x 20'	8'	10' x 10'
Pear	20'	20' x 20'	12' - 15'	12' x 12'
Apricot	20'	20' x 20'
Plum	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
			** semi-dwarf 12' - 15' ++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

They are very affordable.
Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.

If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.

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