Syringa meyeri
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DWARF KOREAN LILAC
Family: Oleaceae
Pronounced: sih-RING-gah MY-er-eye
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Deciduous shrubs.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 1-12, 14-16.
USDA zones: 4-7.
Mature size:
Height 5-6 feet (1.5-2 m).
Width: 5 feet (1.5 m).
Flowering period:
May-June.
Flowering attributes:
Four-inch long panicles with fragrant, lavender flowers.
Leaf attributes:
One-half inch long oval leaves.
Growth habit:
Rounded shrub.
Light:
Full sun.
Soil:
Fertile, humus rich soil, on the neutral to alkaline side.
Feeding:
Side dress with compost in fall, and add lime to our acidic NW soils.
Propagation Methods:
Greenwood cuttings in summer. | Layer in summer.
Pruning Methods:
Prune only after flowers fade. I prune out crossing branches and thin out some branches to the ground about once every third year.
Rainy Side Notes
The compact shrub, Syringa meyeri, is great in gardens with little room for a full-size lilac. One of the easiest lilacs to grow, it blooms later than most of the other species and cultivars. Add this one to the garden to extend the lilac season. Fragrant flowers cover the entire shrub during the month of May. It blooms at an early age, even when it is only one-foot tall. My shrub is planted close to a walkway. When it is in bloom, it is a heavenly walk with the scent of flowers in the air. The small shrub looks good year round. In my garden during winter, its bare form is surrounded by the winter flowers of Helleborus 'Wester Flesk' .
This smaller lilac is resistant to the mildew that plagues many of our lilacs here in the Pacific Northwest.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
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