| General Description | This attractive, late blooming, hardy lilac is a class plant in the landscape, the blooms are also great as cut flowers: stunning when in bloom. Deeply fragrant. |
| ID Characteristic | A deciduous stout-stemmed shrub that has extremely handsome foliage. Its large drooping, fragrant flower clusters vary in colour which seem to be nodding on the shrub.
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| Shape | Rounded to weeping in form often quite broad at the crown and narrow at the base. |
| Landscape | As an accent or specimen plant in the border, mine takes centre stage in a narrow border at the garden entrance. |
| Propagation | Suckering, softwood cuttings, grafting and tissue culture are all methods of propagation. Softwood cuttings and grafting are best done in the spring to mid-summer.
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| Cultivation | Likes moist but well drained soils, with a pH that is between mildly acidic to mildly alkaline (6.1 to 7.8). Thrives best in full sun conditions. When pruning, do so after the flowers have faded within 2 weeks. It does tolerate clay soils as evidenced by the specimen pictured growing in the A. M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens which is heavy clay soil.
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| Pests | Lilac scales, phytophthora blight, witches broom, lilac borer, mildew, rodents and deer.
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| Notable Specimens | Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario; The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario. |
| Habitat | A native of rich soils of Northern China's Sichuan province found growing at about 2, 500 m in association with Rhododendron calophytum, Viburnum cinnamomifolium, Betula albosinensis, Acer davidii and Abies fabri. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Smooth, brown bark with pronounced lenticels.
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| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Double terminal beds are usually just under 2 cm in length and quite plump. They have approximately 4 pairs of red-brown scales.
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| Leaf Description | Opposite, simple, oval-oblong to oblong lanceolate leaves. 7.5-20 cm long and half as wide. Very handsome dark green, glossy leaves with pronounced veins beneath. The petiole is 1.25 cm long.
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| Flower Description | These narrowly pyramidal panicles are 15-25 cm long and 3.7-10 cm wide. Their purple-pink flowers age pink with a white interior. The flowers are also quite fragrant which will attract bees and butterflies.
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| Fruit Description | Smooth capsule just under 2.5 cm long.
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| Colour Description | The foliage is a very handsome dark green with a lighter, paler green tone underneath. If grown under too much shade, the leaves will become lighter in colour and less glossy.
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| Texture Description | Medium in leaf and winter.
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