Syringa pubescens: Spicy-Fragrant Lilac with White-Throated Purple Flowers

Lilac (Syringa pubescens) has an untraditional, spicy fragrance and is one of the most strongly scented lilacs. In midseason, single white-throated pale purple flowers open to white. Forms a shrub 10 feet high by 10 feet wide. Lilac flowers are beloved for bouquets; hummingbirds and butterflies visit. Generally forgiving, tolerant of roadside sites and neglect.

Growing Conditions

Reasonably fertile, well-drained soil in full sun; prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Deadhead promptly. Prune lightly in late winter or early spring. Good air circulation. Fire retardant. Requires chilling dormancy. Propagate by seed in cold frame, softwood cuttings or layer in early summer, graft in winter, bud in summer. Watch for powdery mildew, dieback, leafroll virus, MLO, root knot nematode, Verticillium wilt, witches' broom, bacterial leaf spot, anthracnose, borers, scale, caterpillars.

Key Features at a Glance

• Height: 6–10 ft.
• Spread: 6–10 ft.
• Growth Habit: Spreading, Moderate
• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
• Moisture: Medium
• Maintenance: Low
• Characteristics: Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Fragrant Flowers, Showy Flowers
• Bloom Time: Spring
• Flower Color: Purple
• Uses: Beds, Borders, Cut Flower, Flowering Tree, Hedge, Naturalizing, Roadside, Screening, Cottage Garden
• Type: Shrubs