Syringa pubescens subsp. microphylla 'Superba'

RHS Plant Profile

very little leaf lilac

Other common names

lilac 'Superba'

Synonyms

Syringa microphylla 'Superba'

RHS Recommended

Shrubs

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A bushy, spreading medium-sized deciduous shrub with small, dark green, broadly-ovate leaves and fragrant, single, long-tubed, rosy-pink flowers in loose panicles

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Oleaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: 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: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow in most well-drained, fertile, humus-rich alkaline to neutral soils. Thrives in chalky ground and appreciates mulching when planted in full sun. See lilac or small-flowered lilacs for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings or layering in early summer. grafting can be done in winter and chip budding in summer

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)