The legendary nostalgia of Lilacs has graced garden across the world for hundreds of years. When I say the word “Lilac” I think most gardeners can close their eyes and picture the flower, and perhaps more importantly imagine the intoxicating fragrance that they fill the air with each spring. We now have both classic old-school flavors and useful modern hybrids to utilize in our local gardens. From stately larger growing shrubs (that are frankly small multi-stem trees) to more compact dwarfs, there truly is a great option for any sunny local landscape site.
Lilacs are a classic old-wood blooming shrub, meaning that once they are done blooming this spring they will sprout new shoots and set flower buds this summer that will open in spring 2026. This is yet another example of my “prune after bloom” rule - once your Lilac has bloomed, it is time to prune. Cutting them back, if needed, in early summer will allow them to re-grow, set buds and provide maximum flower power again the following spring. If you prune these in fall, winter or spring you are cutting your flower buds off!
A good organic rose and flower food is ideal to feed them with each March and June, but if you want to up your game a bit, add some ‘Ultra Bloom’ (an organic food with no Nitrogen) from E.B. Stone Organics in June as well. This is all about Phosphorous and Potassium and will really kick in the bud production over summer on old-wood bloomers, like Lilacs. If you want to do your plant one more favor, add some lime around it when planting and then at the base each year in spring. Lilacs are one of the few shrubs we use here in Western Washington that prefers alkaline soil (higher pH), and not our more acidic soil.
Always give Lilacs a sunny garden location in moist but well drained soil. The more shade they receive the leggier their habit will be (stretching up for the sun) as well as lack of flowers and potential issues with disease. Lilacs are super cold hardy and drought tolerant (once established), deer and rabbit resistant and will mature into excellent specimens. Yes, they do sucker off their root systems a bit, but don’t see this as a negative, instead it is an opportunity to replenish your plant with new trunks, or it allows you to dig some freebies up and relocate them or share with your gardening friends. You can always clip these suckers off anytime if you like or leave them and transplant a few during the dormant winter season. Lilacs are all deciduous, adding fall colors in the landscape in shades of golden yellow to deep burgundy or purple, depending on the specific variety.
Like with most plants, Lilacs come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, so be sure to consider your specific spot and choose accordingly. Taller growers are cultivars of what are known as Common Lilac (or Syringa vulgaris) and can be found in single or double flowers in just about any shade of white, light yellow, pink, blue, lavender, red, and purple. Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri) and other species exist and have been used nicely in modern breeding. These newer crosses have produced a number of great dwarfs which mature into bushier, smaller scale specimens. There are too many good varieties to mention them all, but here are a few suggestions to ponder…
‘Bloomerang Series’: This unique hybrid series from the Proven Winners breeding program provides some great dwarf options, and they also bloom twice a year! Color and fragrance in spring AND fall, now that is what I am talking about. Most stay under 6-feet tall and boast superior disease resistance. There are a few colors to choose from in shades of pink to purple.
‘National Arboretum Series’: A number of great cultivars of taller growing common lilac hybrids (S. vulgaris) have been introduced over the years from the US National Arboretum. All grow to about 10-feet tall, are disease resistant and produce large fragrant flowers. ‘Betsy Ross’ is a pure white, ‘Declaration’ is reddish purple, and ‘Old Glory’ is bluish purple. These all have great foliage as well.
'Klager Lilacs’: There are a number of excellent classic common lilacs in any color, but locally some of the best are from the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, Washington. If you are ever down there from mid-April to mid-May for their Lilac festival, be sure to stop in and gaze upon the glory of over 150 varieties of Lilacs in a fabulous Victorian-themed garden. We owe some great cultivars like ‘Klager’s Dark’, ‘Hulda Klager’, ‘Frank Klager' and many others to the passion of this family and their breeding over the last century.
‘Dream Cloud’: An exquisite new dwarf hybrid, with huge panicles of bloom each May. The lavender-pink flowers are so prolific that you can hardly see the foliage! It has a compact and tidy shape, growing to about 5-feet tall and wide. Foliage turns a vibrant purple in fall to add more interest as well. If you want other colors that stay compact like these, ‘Tinkerbelle’ is a lovely pink, and ‘Red Pixie’ is a striking reddish-pink - both very garden worthy.
‘Korean Lilacs’: I mentioned the Korean specie (S. meyeri) above and a lavender cultivar called ‘Miss Kim’ has been popular for years. These again are compact to about 6-feet tall, bloom a bit later in May and have brighter burgundy to purple foliage in autumn. If you want to go super dwarf, newer hybrids of these like ‘Little Lady’ and ‘Little Darling’ (both 4-feet tall and lilac-pink) are useful and tend to re-bloom in fall a bit. The smallest of all is ‘Baby Kim’, growing to only 3-feet tall with light purple flowers, one that can even be grown in a container.
I was lucky enough to inherit a few large (Syringa vulgaris cvs.) old-school Lilacs at my own home, and at 15-feet tall or so they make lovely small tree specimens in my backyard along a sunny fence line. They all grace my garden with lovely flowers every April and May, add fragrance to the breeze, and make wonderful cut flowers to adorn vases inside my home. I encourage all of you to stop into your local garden center this time of year for an outstanding selection of Lilac options. Speak with a Certified Professional Horticulturist about the best one(s) for your needs, and allow them teach you how to care for them. With Mother’s Day on the horizon, consider giving the gift of green to Mom. Surely she will like just about any plant for the garden, but perhaps a pretty blooming and fragrant Lilac will make her smile extra wide.
Remember, leaves up and roots down…
