The aromatic purple shrub returns every year.
Its relatives include ash trees, jasmine shrubs and vines, forsythia bushes, and privets.
The common lilac is a popular ornamental landscaping plant that’s fairly low-maintenance under the right conditions.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
New Hampshire even made the lilac its state flower.
They are very low-maintenance plants and require little care beyond annual pruning and fertilization.
Lilacs will grow in some shade but likely won’t produce as many of the prized blooms.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Soil
Common lilacs likeloamy, somewhat moist, neutral to slightly alkaline soil.
Lilacs must have good drainage to avoid root rot and other diseases.
Temperature and Humidity
The common lilac prefersUSDA growing zones3 through 7.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
These plants thrive in moderate to less humidity but do not tolerate high humidity.
Lilacs do not tolerate areas such as the southern United States, as the temperature is too hot.
Fertilizer
Test the soil before you add any fertilizer to your common lilacs.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
An excess of nitrogen can harm the plant.
They generally grow in round, oval, and irregular shapes.
The ideal time to prune is just after the blooming period is over.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Lilacs fall under the general guideline toprune a third of the shrubeach growing season.
Take off any dead or diseased wood, as well as the spent flowers.
And prune the remaining stems to create the shape you desire.
Lilac ‘Virtual Violet’The Spruce / Grant Webster
Propagating Common Lilac
Lilacs readily spread throughsuckers.
Choose a container that’s 2-3 inches larger than your plant pot.
Then, keep the base of the plant warm with about 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch.
Lilac ‘Bloomerang’The Spruce / Grant Webster
The best defense against these pests and diseases is to provide your lilac with optimal growing conditions.
Lilacs can attract bees, birds,butterflies, and otherpollinatorsto your garden.
This way, you might be able to enjoy six weeks or more of blooms throughout the spring.
cultivar413/ Flickr /CC By 2.0
Bloom Months
Common lilac blooms from April through June.
How Long Does Common Lilac Bloom?
Common lilac blooms every year.
NADEJDA2015 / Getty Images
Its bloom time lasts for about two months but individual flower heads last only a few days.
What Do Common Lilac Flowers Look and Smell Like?
The most common color of lilac is also the most fragrant.
Neil Holmes / Getty Images
Purple lilacs have a stronger scent compared to other color varieties and are the most heady and perfumey.
Lilacs are known for living a very long time, with some varieties living close to 100 years old.
This, of course, is also determined by their gardening care and maintenance.
Lilac: An old-fashioned, favorite shrub.
