The Mother’s Day weekend is the busiest of the year at garden centres across the country, as grateful children do their best to find Mom that perfect gift that says Thanks! Of course, there’s the obligatory card or if you’re a good son or daughter, perhaps you will take them out for breakfast or brunch, but nothing quite embodies the gratitude we feel like sweet-smelling flowers. Fortunately for us, Lilacs just happen to be in bloom around Mother’s Day and most of these are quite fragrant, so here are a few of my favourites, most of which you can find right now at Amsterdam Garden Centre.
📸 MK Lascelle
‘Sensation’ (Syringa vulgaris)
The perfect plant for people who can’t choose a colour, because the bicolour blooms are an eye-catching purple with clear white margins. This French Lilac was discovered as a sport or mutation in Boskoop, Netherlands way back in 1938 and has remained popular ever since. Expect a sweet fragrance from this tall shrub best suited for planting in those fenceline corners. Grows 8-12’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
📸 MK Lascelle
‘Miss Kim’ (Syringa pubescens subsp. patula)
A more compact, shrubby lilac bush native to Korea and China with deep purplish-pink buds which open to 3-6” tall panicles of pale lavender flowers. These have a strong, spicy fragrance and are borne over a period of about three to four weeks. Be sure to restrict your pruning to just after the flowers fade, as cutting later in the season or early spring will result in little to no blooms. Grows 4-6’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
📸 MK Lascelle
‘Bloomerang Dark Purple’ (Syringa x )
A hybrid reblooming lilac which will provide a heavy display of flowers in spring followed by more blooms in summer and autumn. The heavily scented pale purple flowers emerge from darker buds, with the contrast between the two being a display in its own right. Its cold hardiness, modest size and longer season of bloom make it ideal for container culture. Grows 4-6’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
📸 Proven Winners
‘Beauty of Moscow’ (Syringa vulgaris)
Also known as ‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’, the origins of this French lilac cultivar stretch back to 1943 Russia, during the second world war. What arose during that very difficult period was a stunning double-flowered white lilac with just a hint of blush pink and an incredibly aromatic fragrance. These make stunning cut flowers and only a few blooms will scent the whole house. Grows 8-12’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
📸 MK Lascelle
‘Tinkerbelle’ (Syringa x)
This compact hybrid lilac was bred from ‘Palibin’ but features unique wine-coloured buds that open to pale pink flowers. The panicles are 3-5” tall and these emit a very sweet fragrance. ‘Tinkerbelle’ is also very cold hardy and best of all, non-suckering. Grows 4-6’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
📸 MK Lascelle
‘Prairie Petite’ (Syringa vulgaris)
The perfect French lilac for those who love the flowers and fragrance but don’t have the room to accommodate the normal mature size of 8 to 12 feet tall by 6 to 10 feet wide. Here we have a shrub that grows to less than half that size with abundant lavender-pink flowers that cover much of the foliage and scent the entire garden. It is also extra cold-hardy making it ideal for planting in large containers. Grows 3-4’ tall and wide. Hardy to USDA zone 2.
📸 MK Lascelle
‘Pearl Potion’ (Syringa meyeri)
A Korean lilac hybrid from Bloomin’ Easy which combines a very compact growth habit with pure white fragrant flowers in late spring. These emerge from soft pink buds on a shrub that is resistant to your typical leaf blight issues, commonly found when we get prolonged, wet springs. This variety is also well suited for containers and makes a beautiful flowering hedge. Grows 4-5’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
📸 Bloomin' Easy
‘Josee’ (Syringa x)
The original reblooming dwarf lilac which was introduced in France back in 1976 and has remained a landscape staple to this day. It bears very fragrant lavender-pink panicles in May, which are quite large (4-6”) given the shrub size. These are produced intermittently throughout the summer, especially if you deadhead the spent blooms. Grows 4-6’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 2.
📸 Monicore Pixabay
If you want to give your mom a real taste treat, then try making her a special salad using a few fresh French lilac (Syringa vulgaris) flowers, or even a syrup to drizzle on fritters, crepes or ice cream. Just remember that only the flowers (not the foliage) of this species are edible and enjoy!
📸 MK Lascelle
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