April 2003

Dwarf Korean Lilac – Syringa meyeri

Origin: China

In my part of the country, we are finally starting to dig out from underneath the snow. One of the events that signals Spring has officially arrived is the blooming of the lilacs. Every year Rochester, New York holds a Lilac Festival (www.lilacfestival.com) to celebrate the occasion. Highland Park is filled with the the beauty of thousands of lilacs and if you close your eyes, you can catch their sultry perfume before you even reach the park. So in honor of this year’s upcoming festival, I’ve chosen the Dwarf Korean Lilac as April’s featured plant.

 A member of the Olive family, the Dwarf Korean Lilac is a free-flowering deciduous shrub, which grows four to six feet in height and has a spread of four to five feet. It produces violet or icy blue sweetly fragrant single flowers arranged in dense clusters covering this shrub in a profuse bloom from late April to mid May.  What makes this particular variety special is that it doesn’t spread or produce suckers.

The Dwarf Korean is easily grown in average well-drained soil and does best in full sun. This particular lilac is very resistant to mildew. And it has no serious insect or disease problems. Hardy from zones 3 to 7, it produces excellent fresh cut flowers, although you’ll probably be sharing them
with the native fauna. Bees, butterflies and some early arriving hummingbirds heartily enjoy the nectar from lilac bushes.

 If you are in the western New York State area May 9^th thru the 18th, plan to make a side trip to Highland Park for the Rochester Lilac Festival.