Syringa vulgaris 'Lee Jewett Walker'

RHS Plant Profile
lilac 'Lee Jewett Walker'

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Syringa vulgaris 'Lee Jewett Walker'?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
Shrubs

A deciduous shrub with mid green, almost heart-shaped leaves and slender panicles producing clusters of highly fragrant very pale pink flowers in spring and summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
10–20 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–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, Spreading branched
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

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings or layering in early summer. Grafting in winter and chip budding in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance

Pruning

Pruning group 1. Tolerates hard renovative pruning

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)