18 Lilac Varieties

Plant 'Sensation' lilac for a showstopping spring display. Fragrant flower clusters feature single purple blooms edged in white. Blooms open in mid-spring on plants that grow 8 to 10 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. 'Sensation' is hardy in Zones 2 to 7. Occasionally flowers may revert to solid white.

Double the petals make this lilac a real beauty in the garden. Blooms are lilac-blue, sweetly fragrant and up to 10 inches long. This is a French lilac type that flowers in mid-May. Shrubs form a multi-stemmed plant. Use it as a backdrop for other plantings or plant several together for an informal screen. Plants grow 10 to 12 feet tall and wide and are hardy in Zones 3 to 7.

Count on standard or tree form lilacs to bring the beauty and fragrance of these beautiful shrubs into the smallest gardens. Tinkerbelle lilac opens wine-red flower buds in late spring. The blooms beckon butterflies and exude a spicy perfume. This tree form lilac reaches 8 feet tall with a spread of 4 to 5 feet. It’s hardy in Zones 3 to 7.

A Russian lilac, 'Beauty of Moscow' embodies flower power. Delicate pink buds burst to reveal fully double white flowers filled with fragrance. Plants grow strongly, reaching 10 to 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide. This lilac is hardy in zones 3 to 7 and creates a beautiful specimen shrub.