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How to Grow a Lilac Bush

Huge blooms, wonderful scent.

Photo Credit
Wally Patrick
Botanical Name
Syringa spp.
Plant Type
Shrubs and Bushes
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Soil pH
Neutral to Slightly Alkaline
Bloom Time
Spring
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
2
3
4
5
6
7
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies

Planting, Growing, and Pruning Lilacs

Catherine Boeckmann
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Lilacs truly smell like spring! Lilacs are among the most carefree spring-flowering shrubs and provide a sweet, haunting fragrance, too! Learn how to plant, grow, and prune your lilacs.

Lilacs, said to symbolize the joy of youth and associated with spring’s awakening, are hardy, easy to grow, and low-maintenance. Although they can reach heights of 5 to 15 feet (or more), depending on the variety, the ideal lilac shrub produces flowers at eye level—all the better for enjoying their sweet fragrance.

About Lilacs

The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is well loved for its toughness, reliability, and fragrance. In fact, lilacs are so tough that they can grow for 100+ years, often outliving the homes they were planted around. The fragrant flowers are good for cutting and are attractive to butterflies.

While the blooms are usually lilac/purple in color (from very pale to very dark), there are also lilac varieties in white and cream and even pink and yellow. Individual flowers can be single or double.

In northern states, lilacs bloom for about 2 weeks from mid- to late spring. However, there are early-, mid-, and late-season lilacs, which, when grown together, ensure a steady bloom for at least 6 weeks.

Read Next

Planting

Lilacs thrive in fertile, humus-rich, well-draining, neutral to alkaline soil (at a pH near 7.0). If your soil is in poor condition, mix in compost to enrich it. (Learn more about soil amendments and preparing the soil for planting.) Choose or prepare a site that drains well. Poor drainage or pooling water can cause “wet feet,” potentially leading to root rot, stunted growth, and/or failure to flower. Test soil drainage by digging a hole 8 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep. Fill it with water; if it does not drain within an hour, choose another spot.

For the best blooms, lilacs should be planted in full sun, which is defined as at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. Given less, they will not flower as well. 

When to Plant Lilacs

  • Like most shrubs, lilacs can be planted in either spring or fall, although the latter is preferred.

How to Plant Lilacs

  • If you’re lucky, a friend will give you a sucker, or offshoot, of the root system of one of their plants. The sucker will look pathetic at first, but dig a hole, backfill it with soil, and stick the sucker in. Then, water and wait. In 4 or 5 years, you’ll be rewarded with huge, fragrant blossoms.
  • Transplanting nursery-bought lilacs is also easy. If it’s container-grown, spread out the roots as you settle the plant into the ground; if it’s balled or burlapped, gently remove the covering and any rope before planting. Set the plant 2 or 3 inches deeper than it grew in the nursery, and work topsoil in around the roots—water in. Then, fill in the hole with more topsoil.
  • Space multiple lilac bushes 5 to 15 feet apart, depending on the variety.

Growing

  • Each spring, apply a layer of compost under the plant, followed by mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.
  • Water during the summer if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
  • Lilacs won’t bloom if they’re overfertilized. They can handle a handful of 10-10-10 in late winter, but no more.
  • After your lilac bush has finished blooming, spread some lime and well-rotted manure around the base. Trim the bush to shape it and remove suckers at the same time.

How to Prune Lilacs

  • Lilacs bloom on old wood, so it’s critical to prune in the spring right after they bloom. If you prune later in the summer, you may be removing the wood. Note: If your lilac flower clusters are getting smaller over a few years, it’s time to prune!
  • Every year after bloom, remove any dead wood. Prune out the oldest canes (down to the ground). Remove the small suckers. Cut back weak branches to a strong shoot. Cut back tall canes to eye height.
  • The ideal lilac shrub has about 10 canes. If your lilac is old and in really bad shape, remove one-third of the oldest canes (down to the ground) in year 1, half of the remaining old wood in year 2, and the rest of the old wood in year 3. Another option for old lilacs is to chop the whole thing back to about 6 or 8 inches high. It sounds drastic, but lilacs are very hardy. The downside to this option is that it takes a few years to grow back. The upside is less work and more reward, as the lilac will grow back, bursting with blooms.
  • It must be recognized that severe pruning results in the loss of blooms for 1 to 3 years. For these reasons, a wise pruning program aims to avoid severe and drastic cuts by giving the bushes annual attention.
  • Good Sucker Sense: Gertrude Jekyll, the 19th-century no-nonsense English horticulturist (1843–1932), advocated a strenuous exercise: “When taking away suckers … it is better to tear them out than to cut them off. A cut, however close, leaves a base from which they may always spring again, but if pulled or wrenched out, they bring away with them the swollen base.”

Types

For early flowers, try Syringa x hyacinthiflora hybrids; they bloom 7 to 10 days before S. vulgaris. Its fragrant blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

The most common and fragrant lilacs are of the S. vulgaris variety:

  • Try ‘Charles Joly’, a double magenta flower, an early bloomer.
  • Mid-season lilacs include ‘Monge’, a dark reddish purple, and ‘Firmament’, a fine blue.
  • Late-season beauties include ‘Miss Canada’, a reddish-pink, and ‘Donald Wyman’, a pink-purple flower.

Uncommon types/varieties include … 

  • S. x ‘Penda’ Bloomerang Purple: flowers in spring, pauses, then flowers again from midsummer through fall
  • Although common lilacs love cold weather, a few thrive as far south as Zone 8, including cutleaf hybrid S. x laciniata, with fragrant, pale lavender flowers, and S. pubescens ssp. patula ‘Miss Kim,’ with pale, lilac-blue blooms that fade to white.

Small Lilacs
For gardeners, especially those in urban spaces, who just don’t have the room for the traditional larger lilac, there are compact varieties! They’ll even grow in a container on your patio or balcony.

  • ‘Baby Kim’ grows only 2 to 3 feet high (and 3 feet wide) in a nicely rounded shape with purple flowers that attract butterflies. Extended hardiness from Zones 3 to 8.
  • ‘Little Lady’ (S. x) is a compact lilac that matures to 4 to 5 feet tall and wide with dark pink buds that open to lilac-pink flowers. Hardy in Zones 2 to 7.
  • ‘New Age Lavender’ and ‘New Age White’ (S. vulgaris) are super-compact, growing from 4 to 5 feet tall and wide, and bred for mildew resistance. Their fragrant flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Hardy to Zone 4.

See more lilac varieties!

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • Prone to attack by slugs and snails.
  • Powdery white mildew may appear after a summer of hot, humid weather. It may be unsightly, but it does no harm. Ignore it.

Wit and Wisdom

  • To improve the flowering of lilacs, keep the grass from growing around them. A 16- to 24-inch circle of landscape cloth placed around the bushes and covered with bark or stone will keep the grass down.
  • Force a winter bouquet from cut branches of lilac. Bruise the cut ends and set them in water. Spray the branches frequently. Keep them in a cool place until they bloom, then move to a warmer area for display.
  • Poet Walt Whitman thought of lilacs when Abraham Lincoln died: 
    ”When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d … I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.”
  • Lilacs supposedly symbolize the joy of youth. Learn about more flower symbolism here.
  • The lilac belongs to the olive family, Oleaceae.
  • Lilacs are the state flower of New Hampshire.

Cooking Notes

Lilac flowers are edible, but flavor varies among cultivars, from no flavor to “green” and lemony flavors. Gather insect- and disease-free blooms early in the day. Avoid any that are unopened or past their peak. Wash the flowers gently in cool water. Pat them dry and refrigerate until ready to use.

Consider making candied lilac flowerets for a special cake decoration: Separate the individual flowers. Using tweezers, dip each one into a beaten egg white, reconstituted egg white powder, or packaged egg whites. Then, dip the flower in finely granulated sugar. Set it aside to dry before placing it on a cake.

Shrubs and Trees
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Blue Skies lilacs need moist, fertile, well-draining soil. Adding compost and bonemeal to the soil will add nutrients and aid in draining the soil. Make sure the soil is moist but do not overwater. Yellow leaves can also be a sign of disease (fungal) or pest damage.

Martha (not verified)

9 years 2 months ago

Can lilac bushes grow in central Florida?

Lilac plants really thrive in climates with a long winter chill. That said, there are a few low-chill hybrids some people like such as ‘Miss Kim’ lilac (S. patula ‘Miss Kim’). A popular substitute is the lilac chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) which doesn’t have the same fragrance but has those gorgeous blue-purple blooms.

Barb (not verified)

9 years 2 months ago

Hi I've had a lilac for 5 yrs , it doesn't bloom. I live in Maple Ridge BC Canada. I put lime on it in spring, is that why? Should it be in fall?

Hi, Barb: What a nice part of Canada! It sounds like you need to go back to square one and test your soil’s pH. Lilacs like 6.0 to 7.0, which is basically neutral to slightly alkaline. Add a little lime in the spring and again in the fall only if you find the pH lower than 6.0. If you find that your soil has become too alkaline, replace some with neutral soil to reduce the downward leaching of the alkalinity. Slowly but surely, bring your soil to the proper pH. Also, make sure that your soil does not have too much nitrogen, which can sometimes happen due to fertilizer runoff. Finally, lilacs need 6 to 7 hours of sun each day for best blooming, so make sure that yours isn’t in too much shade. Good luck! 

Brendon (not verified)

9 years 3 months ago

Hello,
I am planning to plant 1 gallon Bloomerang Lilac Shrubs in a zone 7 climate next week. I want to (at least eventually) add rubber mulch to the area they are planted. Is there a detriment to doing this right after I plant them? If so, about how long would I want to wait before covering with rubber mulch? I saw one comment that said to remove mulch from a plant that didn't take well, but not sure if maybe that's just because it was a smaller plant or if you have to give them some period of time to establish themselves before mulching. Also, I've read that you want to water for 4 weeks after planting but not too much. I'm planning on being away for 6 days a few days after I planned to plant these. Would it be advisable to water them well for a few days and then have to skip the water for the six days I'm gone, or to just leave them in the planters and plant them when I return. Thanks in advance!

Hi Brendon,

Make sure to amend your soil before adding the mulch. Lilacs grow best in soil rich in organic matter. Wait to plant the lilacs so that you can keep an eye on the soil moisture after you plant them. Add mulch after about a month when you know that the lilacs are growing well. Keep the mulch about 6 inches from the base of the stems.

Keila (not verified)

9 years 3 months ago

Hello:
I planted a very young lilac tree/shrub this past fall. I live in Nebraska so we have had some very windy winters. A branch from a near by tree fell on it and broke the top bud of the leader branch. Will this stunt the growth of the tree? I'm worried it won't grow properly.

You won’t necessarily lose the lilac. A Montreal (yes, Canada) web site for that city”s botanical gardens (among other sites) advises as follows for TREES: If the central leader is broken, damaged or very weak, or has a dead terminal bud, choose a vigorous lateral branch to replace it. If the best-located lateral branch is growing at an oblique angle, cut back the damaged leader as close to this branch as possible. Place a stake in the ground to support the lateral branch. You will be able to remove the stake after two or three years. If the tree has an almost vertical lateral branch, cut back the damaged leader just above that branch, which will straighten up and eventually take over from the original leader. You can read more here: http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/pruning-deciduous-trees

We hope this helps—

 

Don swank (not verified)

9 years 4 months ago

Local nurseries supply as you mentioned in earlier post, boomerangs and miss Kim varieties. The common lilac to me surpasses all other lilacs as far as scent and just my opinion. What do you think? I live in Fort Worth and curious how well the common lilac will grow in my zone.