White lilac: 5 varieties with white flowers to add to the garden

Syringa vulgaris ‘Madame Lemoine’ lilac with white flowers: garden essential

It is one of the old varieties of lilac, created in France at the end of the 19th century. Its dimensions (4 m height and 2.5 m spread) make it a true small tree, with an upright, rounded habit.

White lilac ‘Mme Lemoine’ offers in spring pretty cream buds, from which open panicles (inflorescence in the form of a cluster) of double white flowers 15 cm across with a sweet, light fragrance.

Its key features:

• abundant flowering (delicately scented double flowers)
• easy to grow
• rapid growth

Flowering of a white lilac ‘Mme Lemoine’

How to grow white lilac ‘Mme Lemoine’?

Lilac ‘Madame Lemoine’ is known for producing numerous suckers (sucker), which we recommend removing to preserve a compact silhouette.

It is known for being easy to grow. It requires little maintenance: mulching and regular watering in summer (especially in hot, dry climate) to maintain some moisture.

Planting is carried out from March to May or from September to November.

White lilac Syringa vulgaris 'Dentelle d'Anjou': an intoxicating floral fragrance

Lilac ‘Dentelle d’Anjou’ is a recent common lilac (2007), considered an improvement on variety ‘Madame Lemoine’.

It has a more compact, ramified habit; its dimensions are smaller (3 m in height, 2 m in spread).

It produces magnificent inflorescences in long pyramidal clusters (thyrsus) of remarkable size (18 cm in length on average). Its double flowers are very attractive, pure white in colour and offer a powerful fragrance.

Its key features:

• long, highly fragrant double flowers
• compact, upright silhouette
• rapid growth

White flowers of lilac ‘Dentelle d’Anjou’

How to grow lilac ‘Dentelle d’Anjou’ with white flowers?

Plant in garden from March to May or from September to November. For even more impressive flowering, choose a sunny position.

Growing is simple: it particularly dislikes stagnant water in soil (especially in winter). Planting should therefore be carried out on well-drained soil.

Lilac Syringa vulgaris ‘Jeanne d'Arc’: a spectacular white flowering

Lilac ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ is an old variety, with an upright, rather irregular habit. It is medium-sized (3 m high, 2 m spread).

It is prized for the size of its double flowers (20 cm) of a pure, immaculate white and very fragrant. In spring, it will put on a spectacular display of flowering!

Its strengths:

• impressive flowering (huge double white flowers)
• powerful floral scent
• ideal for making lilac bouquets

White lilac ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ in flower

How to grow white lilac ‘Jeanne d’Arc’?

Sunny exposure further favours its flowering. Preferred planting period runs from March to May and from September to November.

Lilac ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ appreciates humus-bearing soils (rich in organic matter), but can also thrive in slightly calcareous or acidic soil.

Dwarf lilac Syringa meyeri 'Flowerfesta White' suitable for container growing

Relatively recent variety created in the Netherlands, dwarf white-flowered lilac is a small bush with a bushy habit. Its dimensions, smaller than those of its relatives (1.25 m in height and spread), make it the ideal lilac for growing in pots. It will thus enhance balconies, terraces and small gardens.

Abundant flowering occurs in spring and continues intermittently into autumn (September–October). It is therefore a perpetual variety that will allow you to enjoy several flowerings during the year!

Its large clusters (10 to 14 cm) display violaceous tones in bud before opening into beautiful white flowers. Rich in nectar, they attract many butterflies and foraging insects.

Its advantages :

• small size suited to growing in pots
• perpetual variety, which flowers several times a year
• melliferous plant
• very hardy (> -15°C)

Spring flowering of dwarf lilac Syringa meyeri ‘Flowerfesta White’

How to grow dwarf lilac ‘Flowerfesta White’?

Growing dwarf lilac is undemanding: it requires little watering and proves very hardy.

A maintenance pruning will preserve its rounded, compact shape.

Its growth is quite slow, but can be improved with rich soil.

Recommended planting periods are February to April and September to November.

White pinnate-leaved lilac Syringa pinnatifolia: early flowering and atypical aesthetic

Lilac Syringa pinnatifolia is a species native to China, one of whose particularities lies in its bark, which flakes with age. It is medium-sized (3 m tall, 2.5 m wide).

Its foliage is a darker green than common lilacs and its leaves are pinnate: their leaflets are arranged like a feather’s beard or the bones of a fish.

Its flowering is earlier (from April): it then bears small clusters of scented flowers (4 to 7 cm long), whose colours range from white, to ivory to pale mauve.

The contrast between its dark foliage and its pale flowers gives it character and a distinctive aesthetic.

Its assets :

• early flowering (early lilac)
• original, attractive pinnate foliage
• very hardy (> -15 °C)

Flowers of the white pinnate-leaved lilac

How to grow the white pinnate-leaved lilac?

Ideal planting time is February to April and September to November.

As with other white lilacs, growing it is very easy. Maintenance consists of removing spent flowers as they fade.

Our tips for successfully growing your lilacs

• How to plant, prune, maintain and care for lilacs?
• Find out when and how to prune lilacs
• Learn how to take a lilac cutting
• Our selection of lilac varieties perfect for growing in pots