American Mountain Ash vs Common Purple Lilac - TreeTime.ca

American Mountain Ash vs Common Purple Lilac

Sorbus americana

Syringa vulgaris

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

American Mountain Ash
Common Purple Lilac

American Mountain ash is a beautiful, medium-sized ornamental tree that is ideal for residential lots. Mountain Ash blooms with tiny white flowers in the spring, followed by clusters of small red/orange berries in the summer.

American Mountain Ash's berries stay on the tree throughout the winter. This attracts birds and other small wildlife to your landscape as the berries are an important food source during the winter months.

Common Purple Lilac is a popular lilac. This large shrub provides excellent privacy or wind protection in an attractive package.

Lilac flowers are pleasantly fragrant and add a beautiful lavender colour to your property. Common Purple Lilac is cold hardy, easy to grow, and can tolerate most soil types.

Some people alternate villosa and common purple lilacs to create the impression that the hedge is in flower for almost a full month with the common purple flowering about 2 weeks sooner than the Villosa Lilac.

American Mountain Ash Quick Facts

Common Purple Lilac Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $3.49 - SAVE UP TO 50%
Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 10 m (32 ft)
Height: 5 m (16 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: medium


Fall colour: scarlet red
Flowers: white clusters, spring
Flowers: dark purple, extremely fragrant
Berries: bunches of orange-red
Seeds: seeds contained within the berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: dogberry
Other Names: common lilac, french hybrid lilac, lilac