Madame Lemoine White Lilac vs Sweet Gale - TreeTime.ca

Madame Lemoine White Lilac vs Sweet Gale

Myrica gale

Syringa vulgaris Madame Lemoine

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Sweet Gale
Madame Lemoine White Lilac

Sweet Gale is a native, nitrogen-fixing shrub known for its aromatic foliage. Tiny glands on the leaves release a balmy, bay leaf-like scent with floral and citrus notes. In spring, the yellowish male catkins provide one of the earliest sources of pollen for bees and other insects. While later in the season, the female catkins produce seeds that are eaten by waterfowl. Sweet Gale is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers occur on separate plants.

Sweet Gale thrives in wet, acidic soils and is commonly found along wetlands and lakeshores. It can help stabilize shorelines, while its dense growth provides valuable cover for wildlife. It is well-suited for naturalization, wetland restoration, and erosion control projects.

Madame Lemoine White Lilac is great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Winner of the Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society, the Madame Lemoine White Lilac has fragrant white flowers that are great for cutting and blue-green foliage that turns yellow in the fall. This attractive shrub is also deer resistant.

Sweet Gale Quick Facts

Madame Lemoine White Lilac Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright, thicket-forming
Spreading: suckering - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: high


Foliage: dotted with yellow glands, sweet scented
Fall colour: yellow
Bark: reddish-purple, dotted with yellow glands
Flowers: white, fragrant
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: bog myrtle, meadow-fern, sweet bayberry, sweetgale
Other Names: madame lemoine french lilac, mme lemoine lilac