A little seed. A new beginning.
Seeds In A Cup®A LITTLE SEED. A NEW BEGINNING.

GROW SOMETHING WONDERFUL

Lilac

Syringa vulgaris

Your guide to planting, growing, and getting to know this plant.

THE PLANT NOTEBOOK

Lilac care, from seed onward.

Botanical name
Syringa vulgaris
Common names
Common Lilac
Family
Oleaceae
Genus
Syringa
Species
S. vulgaris
01

Start growing

Requires full sun and excellent drainage. Needs cold winters to bloom well. Neutral to slightly alkaline soil.

02

Growing with your kit

Students use the Seeds In A Cup® kit to observe the formation of the terminal flower buds that will 'sleep' through winter.

03

Propagation

By seed, cuttings, or suckers.

04

Seasonal growth & harvest

Blooms briefly but intensely in mid-to-late spring. Characteristic heart-shaped leaves.

05

Growing conditions

Rocky hillsides and sunny plains.

06

Weather & tolerances

Extremely cold hardy; sensitive to extreme heat and humidity.

07

Pests & plant health

Powdery mildew (cosmetic) and Lilac borer.

08

Plant safety

Non-toxic; flowers are edible (used in jellies or sugar).

09

Botanical features

A large deciduous shrub famous for its extremely fragrant, conical clusters of purple or white flowers.

10

Varieties

‘Charles Joly’, ‘Miss Kim’ (Dwarf).

11

Garden & everyday uses

Iconic fragrance. used in perfumes and as a premier ornamental specimen

12

Native range & distribution

Native to the Balkan Peninsula in SE Europe.

13

Conservation

Secure; widely naturalized in North America.

14

Name origins

From the Greek ‘syrinx’ (pipe), as the stems were once used to make flute pipes.

15

History

Brought to America in the 1750s; both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson planted them in their gardens.

Grow lilac in a cup.