Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Syringa pinnatifolia

pinnate lilac

S. pinnatifolia is an open, upright shrub with peeling bark on older branches. The leaves resemble a miniature ash, just 6cm long, with up to 11 dark green leaflets. Fragrant, lilac-flushed, tubular, white flowers appear in openclusters inlate spring

Join the RHS

Become an RHS Member today and save 25% on your first year

Join now
Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metres
Time to ultimate height
10–20 years
Ultimate spread
1.5–2.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Purple White Green
Summer Green
Autumn Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Oleaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus

Syringa can be deciduous shrubs or trees, with simple, entire or rarely pinnate leaves and conical panicles of small, very fragrant, 4-lobed tubular flowers in late spring or early summer

Name status

Correct

Plant range
China

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained, fertile, humus-rich, alkaline to neutral soils. Thrives in chalky ground and appreciates mulching when planted in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings or layering in early summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

May be susceptible to lilac leaf-mining moth, willow scale and thrips

Diseases

May be susceptible to lilac blight, honey fungus, phytophthora, powdery mildews and bacterial canker (Pseudomonas Syringae)

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.