Asian Hybrid Lilacs: Early Blooms and Rich Fragrance

While American gardeners cherish the legendary scent of common lilac (Syringa vulgaris), Asian lilac species and their hybrids offer equally luscious fragrances with additional garden-worthy traits.

The Hyacinthiflora Hybrids

When hybridizers discovered that Chinese broadleaf lilac (S. oblata) blooms a week or two earlier than common lilac, they crossed the two species. The result: S. hyacinthiflora, a series of beautiful, early-flowering hybrids that retain classic lilac fragrance. These plants, hardy in Sunset climate zones 1-7, can reach 15 feet tall and wide.

Top Cultivars by Color

Many S. hyacinthiflora hybrids rank among the best lilacs in their color classes:

• Blue-white: 'Blanche Sweet'
• Bluish pink: 'Excel'
• Light lavender: 'Assessippi'
• Pink: 'Annabel', 'California Rose', 'Esther Staley'
• Purple: 'Glory'
• Violet-purple: 'Pocahontas'
• White: 'Mount Baker'

Some cultivars, notably 'Annabel' and 'Excel', are exceptionally early bloomers that delay flowering during unseasonable cold snaps, resuming once temperatures moderate.

Sources

Order bare-root plants for immediate planting or container-grown stock for later. For mail-order selections, try Heard Gardens (5355 Merle Hay Rd., Johnston, IA 50131; 515/276-4533; catalog $2) or Select Plus International Nursery (1510 Pine Rd., Mascouche, Quebec, Canada J7L 2M4; 450/477-3797; catalog $1).