Syringa vulgaris Michel Buchner - Common Lilac

The Common Lilac 'Michel Buchner' is a variety obtained in 1884 that is still highly appreciated for its generous, fragrant, and bicolored flowering! Indeed, this bush produces dark purple-red buds from April to May, which then open into double flowers of a pinkish mauve that lighten over time. Vigorous and of medium size, it transforms into a true small tree with clusters of fragrant flowers that perfume the garden in spring and last a long time in a vase. The lilac is ideally used to complement informal hedges with its beautiful silhouette, planted in groups with other lilacs in the background or as a standalone in smaller gardens. Plant it in sunlight in good garden soil, even if it's chalky and well-drained.

Syringa vulgaris 'Michel Buchner' is a very hardy bush from the olive family, like all horticultural hybrid lilacs obtained in the late 19th century. It is often forgotten that its ancestor, the common lilac, also known as European lilac, is native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, specifically the Balkan Peninsula, and arrived in Western Europe at the end of the Renaissance. In nature, this indomitable plant with highly fragrant blue-violet-purple flowers colonizes rocky hills and withstands cold winters.

The 'Michel Buchner' variety is a lilac that gradually forms a small tree with an upright habit, reaching an average height of 3m (9ft 10in) and a spread of 2m. It naturally develops into a bush composed of several stems, like the mock orange with which it should not be confused. Its stump produces suckers that sometimes need to be removed to maintain its beautiful small tree appearance. Its leaves, triangular and heart-shaped, measuring 8 to 12cm (3.1 to 4.7in) in length and 3 to 8cm (1.2 to 3.1in) in width, appear in spring in a tender green shade with a satin finish. Flowering occurs from April to May, earlier or later depending on the climate. At the ends of one-year-old branches, pairs of compound clusters called thyrses appear, measuring 10 to 30cm (3.9 to 11.8in) in length. The dark purple-red flower buds open into double pinkish mauve flowers, creating a delightful inflorescence blending these two colours. The flowers are quite fragrant.

The strength emanating from the aged silhouette of a lilac, anchored on multiple trunks, as well as the generosity of its flowering, sometimes deserve a prominent place, as a standalone in a small garden. Surrounded by a bed of ground cover roses and catmints, in a dedicated small space, this modest subject will become a magnificent bush, covered in glory in the heart of spring. Easy to grow in cool and relatively moist climates, even in mountainous areas, the Common Lilac 'Michel Buchner' thrives in ordinary, fresh, rather chalky, but well-drained soils. Use it abundantly, mixed with other varieties in shades of pink, mauve, or red, in large blooming hedges, alongside single-flowered roses, mock oranges, serviceberries, Crataegus 'Paul's Scarlet', Cotinus, or large buddleias (B. alternifolia). A hedge of lilacs, flowering cherries, Chinese almonds, flowering plums, and ornamental apple trees, planted above a grand sunken pathway, is a true delight in spring.