Meyer Lilac
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size 4-8' high and 6-12' wide. Small, dense, oval or rounded to mounded shrub. Excellent branch structure. Uniform outline. Slow growth rate.

Native Range

Native to Northern China. Introduced in 1908, and now known only in cultivation.

Flower and Fruit Details

Small violet/lavender/purple flowers, in 4" long and 2.5" wide panicles, showy 10-14 days in May, before leaves are fully developed. Fragrant, but not like the common lilac. Starts to flower at about 1' tall. Flowers on previous season's growth. Fruit is a capsule, warty, 0.5-0.75" long, in August/September.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves simple, opposite, 0.75-1.75" long, not quite as wide. Elliptic-ovate, entire, glabrous above, paler beneath, with pubescence on veins near base. New leaves rimmed with a purplish margin, finally turning dark green. Petiole about 0.33" long. Fall color is usually nonexistent. Occasionally tinged with yellow-green or golden-brown. Bark is not ornamentally important.

Culture and Care

Requires little maintenance, possibly one of the easiest lilacs to grow. Full sun to light shade. Zones 3-7. Urban tolerant. Will adapt well to poor soils, dry soils, compacted soils, and a wide range of soil pH conditions. Very heat and drought tolerant. Avoid poorly-drained sites. Blooms best in full sun. Tolerates shearing. Prune after flowering if desired, but preferably before July 1. Later pruning will lessen flower display the following spring. Virtually no diseases or pests. Does not contract mildew like other species.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Flowers cover entire plant, making this one of the best lilac species for flowers. Flower buds emerge very early and can be injured by a late freeze.

Suggested Uses

Best used in a shrub border with an evergreen background, or as a formal or informal hedge or screen, or as a specimen plant, or in a mass planting or cutting garden.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA