Garden Plant: Common Purple Lilac
Common Purple Lilac
Product Description: Common Purple Lilac
Common Purple Lilac is the Scent of Spring
- Extremely Fragrant Purple Flowers
- Easy Care
- Cold Hardy
- Versatile
- Butterfly Magnet
- Not Preferred By Deer
Nothing beats the captivating scent of fresh Lilac in bloom. Lilac oils have been collected from the flowers and used in perfumes and lotions. Modern companies try to recreate the desirable scent for air fresheners and candles, but they’ll never top the real deal.
There is something so wonderful about having your very OWN Lilac shrub to welcome spring each year.
We have one of the widest selections of Lilacs available, and we get calls every day from people searching for the old-fashioned Lilac. This is it!
Common Purple Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is one of the best Lilac bushes, and in fact, most of the selections get their roots from the Common Lilac. It was brought from Europe in the 1700\’s and was bred extensively to come up with many new selections still being grown today.
The delightfully fragrant flowers are large and profuse, and they provide fantastic spring color. They are showy in the landscape and make knockout cut flower arrangements. You’ll create happy memories with this plant.
Lovely clusters of lavender flowers grow from the branch tips in mid spring. They make a wonderful contrast to the dark green, heart-shaped leaves.
This large, care free woody shrub has been a favorite for generations because they are so easy to grow. It is very hardy and can withstand really severe winters down to -40 degrees! Ancient Lilacs have been found growing around old farmsteads that are hundreds of years old.
The extreme hardiness of this plant makes it excellent for exposed windy locations in those cold areas. Include Lilacs in windbreaks and shelterbelts for color and fragrance.
You won’t have to worry about this plant! For the best results, plant Common Purple Lilac in well-drained soil in a spot where it gets full sun for most of the day.
This is a stunning choice as an accent plant, hedge or privacy screen in many places around your yard. Try pairing it with other Lilac cultivars to extend the season of bloom. For a colorful hedge, add pink, yellow, Persian and white Lilacs.
You’ll love it! So will neighborhood butterflies and hummingbirds. They’ll be drawn to your yard by the delicious scent and fabulous color.
Lilac is a wonderful addition to any landscape in growing zones 3 – 7 across North America. Order one from us today!
How to Use Common Purple Lilac in the Landscape
Give Common Purple Lilac plenty of room to develop into its full size. If you need a small Lilac, try Miss Kim or one of the more petite varieties. This one wants to grow into a wonderful rounded deciduous shrub for you.
This wonderful variety will look fantastic as a big, bold untrimmed hedge or screening plant in open sunny locations.
Plant a special specimen Lilac as a focal point near your windows and patio where they can be seen, smelled and enjoyed. You’ll adore the spring flower power and unbeatable fragrance that Common Purple offers!
Easily extend the height of an existing hardscape fence with a long row of these durable beauties. Or, use them in place of a new fence. Your neighbors and your pocketbook will thank you!
Plant Common Purple Lilac out in the open as a barrier between a roadway or to define your property with a large screen. Closer spacing makes a solid hedge or screen sooner, rather than later.
Plant them 3-4 feet apart (measuring from the center of one to the center of the next) for a tight hedge. We recommend buying the largest size we have in stock to get a jump start on your friendly, living Lilac fence.
Use them as front-facing plants in mixed windbreaks or shelterbelts. If you have lots of space to cover, you can space them out 4-5 feet.
When young, their growth is upright with thick branching to help block snow and wind. Eventually, they will grow into beautiful rounded plants. They’ll also easily soften the look of a mixed tree planting.
They are a great plant to use in a natural grouping in open lawn areas. Remember that an odd number of plants is most pleasing to the eye. Try a triangular planting or create a staggered row of 5 or 7 in a zig-zag as a backdrop to a mixed shrub or perennial border.
Apply mulch around the base of the shrubs and extend it out at least a few feet. You’ll want to give the Lilacs their own mulched bed to thrive in.
As you know, the real reason everyone wants this is for that amazing fragrance. Don’t forget to use one near your bedroom windows or along the garden path. You’ll want to enjoy that fragrance when they are blooming!
We honestly can’t think of a nicer housewarming present. Lilacs make incredibly meaningful memorial plants and can celebrate the birth or adoption of a child.
Pro Plant Tips for Care
Give your new plants an even schedule of moisture to ensure a successful transplant. You can plant most any time from early spring right into late fall.
Just be sure to check that your soil drains well. If you see puddles in your planting site after a rain storm, You’ll want to “mound up” before planting. Simply add more soil in a mound that is 18 – 24 inches higher than your native soil line. Plant directly in that mound. Lilacs won’t tolerate wet soils, so give it a great start for the best success.
Don’t miss a spring bloom! Just follow these easy steps for the best flowering:
Any light pruning should be done right after the flowers are done blooming. It is very important to trim as the flowers fade because the new growth that follows makes the flowers for the next spring. Trimming too late can eliminate flowers for the next year.
Once your Lilacs have been growing for about 10 years, You’ll want to start a regular schedule of renewal pruning. After the blooms are fading, cut a few of the oldest, thickest branches right down to the ground each year. The younger, thinner branches remain and keep your plant vigorous and healthy.
Renewal pruning is great for your Lilac shrub. Removing the oldest growth lets the new branches take their turn. The youngest branches will produce the best bloom for you the following spring.
Plant your Lilacs where they get full sun for best bloom. Keep lawn fertilizer away from the roots, as high nitrogen fertilizers can make nice foliage but may not allow for best flowering.
If you live in deer country, You’ll be pleased to know that this “old-fashioned” Common Purple Lilac is not a preferred food for deer. However, You’ll want to spray with Deer Spray when you plant yours, just to remind Bambi that he doesn’t like the taste. Follow the directions on the bottle.
Get started this year for magnificent spring blooms next spring. Order today!