Common Purple Lilac
The Common Purple Lilac has for generations been cherished by gardeners for it’s fragrant purple blossoms and its ability to create a lush green wall. Technically a multi-stemmed shrub, this Lilac grows vigorously and flowers in late spring. Their conical clusters of florets have a tube-shaped base with four spreading petal lobes. The leaves are smooth, dark green, heart shaped and bud out prior to the flowers. The Common Purple Lilac is quite hardy, deer resistant and requires very little care. They are excellent for hedges along the border of a property line or as a windbreak but can also be planted as a single specimen.
Description
| Common Name |
Common Purple Lilac |
|---|---|
| Latin Name |
Syringa vulgaris |
| Form |
Shrub |
| Life Span |
100+ |
| Growth Rate |
Medium |
| Mature Height |
3.5m |
| Mature Spread |
2.5m |
| Flower Colour |
Purple |
| Fragrance |
Strongly Fragrant |
| Fall Colour |
Unremarkable |
| Soil Preference |
Widely adaptable but will not tolerate standing water |
| Exposure Preference |
Full sun |
| Cold Hardiness Zone |
Zone 3 |
| Special Attributes and Considerations |
Plant up wind of a window or pathway where the fragrant blooms can be enjoyed. Will spread by basal sprouting. |
| Folk Lore |
The Common Purple Lilac’s native range is in Balkans in South Eastern Europe. From there it spread to northern Europe as a favourite for gardeners. It was one of the most common plants brought to the prairies by our European settlers. In days gone by the expression, “Be ready to cut hay 40 days after the lilacs flower” was used as a simple schedule reminder. |
| Available Sizes |
150cm |
Related products
Bailey Select Sherbert Chokecherry
The Bailey Select Sherbert Chokecherry is a cultivated selection of the same chokecherry that grows wild in our region, with foliage that emerges green in spring and turns a rich purple by mid-summer. In spring, the tree produces a beautiful display of white, wonderfully fragrant panicles, followed by large crops of astringent black cherries that are mostly enjoyed by foraging birds. True to tradition, the fruit can also be used to make delicious chokecherry jam, just like in the old days.
Evans Cherry
The Evans Cherry is hardy producer of an edible moderate sweetness cherry. The tree puts on a brilliant show of white flowers in the spring and then produces bright red fruit weighing 4.5g - 5.0g that ripens in mid August. The cultivar is self-pollinating, cold hardy and has a long history of growing in Alberta. The cherry can be eaten right off the tree once ripe, or used for making jams, jellies, pies, and even wines.
Ivory Silk Lilac Tree
Littleleaf Linden
The Littleleaf Linden is a beautiful, highly ornamental tree that adds appeal to any outdoor space, growing with a strong central leader, dense branching, and a trunk that develops substantial girth over time. As its name suggests, its leaves are smaller than those of other linden species, heart shaped and dark green, and in early summer the tree bursts into bloom with clusters of exceptionally fragrant yellow flowers. These nectar-rich flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, and the species also produces a distinctive leaf-like structure called a bract, which evolved to protect the flowers and the small nutlets that develop and ripen in late summer.
Pembina Plum
The Pembina Plum is hybrid between a Canadian and Japanese plum that was bred over 100 years ago. The tree shows a brilliant display of precocious white flowers in the spring and in late August offers an absolutely delicious plum. The fruit displays a dark red skin and yellow flesh. The fruit is of the clingstone variety, which simply describes how the flesh does not easily pull away from the pit. The tree is very cold hardy and makes a fine year around accent tree. It is indeed a glorious moment to walk over to your Pembina Plum and indulge in a sweet and juicy plum you grew right in your own back yard.
Princess Kay Plum
The Princess Kay Plum brings beauty to any yard it grows within. The tree explodes with a brilliant display of precocious double white flowers in early spring. The leaves are dark green and transition to yellow / red in the fall. The tree is very compact making it a perfect addition to smaller sites. Princess Kay Plums will only grow a tiny amount of fruit so they considered to be very neat and tidy. The tree is cold hardy and makes a fine year around accent tree.
Tatarian Maple
The Tatarian Maple is a compact, exceptionally hardy and low maintenance accent tree. The tree will display showy red samaras in late summer. Fall colours are vibrant, and leaves often remain on the tree well into winter. Interestingly, the tree will often grow wider than it is tall. The trees trunk is a striking light grey with black markings.
Toba Hawthorne
The Toba Hawthorne is hardy and compact ornamental tree that displays double white flowers that slowly turn to pink. The flowers are followed by small pomes that ripen to red in the fall. These pomes can be made into jellies or used in tea. The tree grows with bright glossy leaves that turn yellow. As the tree matures it develops a sinewy trunk full of furrows and twists.
