Family: Oleaceae

Scientific Name: Syringa vulgaris Edith Cavell

Common Name: Edith Cavell

DescriptionA double white flowering Lilac.
Pronunciation(si-RING-gah)(vul-GAIR-iss)
Plant TypeAll Plants, Shrubs Deciduous
Hardiness Zone3-6
Sunlightfull, I have been asked many times "Why doesn't my Lilac flower as good as before". The reason is usually the amount of light. Many plants are shaded as the trees grow larger around them and also many Lilacs are plant in one direction light. This means one side flowers more than the other
Moistureaverage
Soil & Siteaverage, doesn't like soggy wet
Flowersdouble white flowers, fragrant
Fruitbeaked dehiscent capsule
Leavessimple, green leaves, heart shaped leaves, little if any fall color, may suffer from powdery mildew in the fall, best planted where it has good air circulation, multiple stems
Dimensions8-15 feet high by 1/2 to 3/4 spread, too large for use near the house, best used as specimen plants or in shrub borders, can be used on corner plantings as long as given 6-8 feet from the corner
MaintenanceThere are many different ways to prune a Lilac. The most drastic is to cut them down to the ground. Using this method I have had ones sucker back and regrow while others that didn't make. You can cut out the old stems and let the new suckers fill in thinning them to the desired amount. On many old plants we have removed all the suckers and left a few of the old stalks. Pruning them up to bare base stems, turning the plant into a small tree. Width can be controlled by pruning them back 1-2 or more nodes. Drastic pruning may delay flowering a few years. Since Lilacs bloom on next season’s wood, prune after they are done blooming
Propagationdivision of suckers, cuttings
Native SiteLilac is native to Europe and has been in cultivation since the 16th century.
Cultivar OriginA Lilac introduction of the Lemonies in 1916. Edith Louisa Cavell [1865-1915], a British army nurse executed by the German military during World War I.
Notes & Reference#1-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #93-North American Landscape Trees (Arthur Lee Jacobson), #104-Lilacs “A Gardeners Encyclopedia”(Fiala)
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