Common Purple Lilac vs Japanese Tree Lilac - TreeTime.ca

Common Purple Lilac vs Japanese Tree Lilac

Syringa reticulata

Syringa vulgaris

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Japanese Tree Lilac
Common Purple Lilac

Japanese Tree Lilac is an attractive, heavy-flowering lilac with fragrant white blossoms. It can be pruned to a single stem or grown as a multi-stemmed shrub.

Japanese Tree Lilac's dark reddish-brown bark peels as the tree ages, creating visual appeal for any yard, especially in the winter.

This tree is often planted along boulevards and its attractive white flowers signal spring to all who drive by.

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.

Japanese Tree Lilac Quick Facts

Common Purple Lilac Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Height: 5 m (16 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium


Flowers: white with yellow anthers
Flowers: dark purple, extremely fragrant
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)

In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Other Names: common lilac, french hybrid lilac, lilac