Syringa josikaea

RHS Plant Profile
Hungarian lilac

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Other common names

Lady Josika's lilac

Shrubs
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A deciduous shrub with a strongly arching habit to 3m, becoming wider than it is high. It has green leaves and pink-mauve flowers in summer, with a light scent.

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
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)
H7

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, Clump forming
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

How to Grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow in good light, in moist but well-drained soil. It likes neutral to alkaline soil and thrives in chalky ground.

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 2 as it flowers on shoots grown the previous year

Pests

May be susceptible to lilac leaf-mining moth, privet thrips; and also to pigeon damage

Diseases

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