Syringa vulgaris Three Sisters (Michel Buchner, Ludwig Späht, Mme Lemoine) - Common Lilac

The common Lilac or Syringa vulgaris 'Three Sisters' is a combination of 3 varieties of different colors in the same pot to form one, like a bouquet of lilacs on a single bush. These are three old varieties from the late 19th century, renowned, appreciated and proven, which have been brought together. This lilac forms a small-sized bush, with clusters of fragrant flowers in white, mauve, and burgundy-purple corresponding to the Madame Lemoine, Michel Buchner, and Souvenir de Louis Spaeth varieties. The first two offer double flowers, further enhancing the possible color nuances since Madame Lemoine opens its white flowers from cream-colored buds and Michel Buchner produces red-purple buds that open into pinkish mauve flowers. As for Souvenir de Louis Spaeth, its burgundy-purple color, close to dark red, is rare.

The Syringa vulgaris 'Three Sisters' is a plant of a new genus while being a combination of varieties obtained between the 1880s and 1890s. The horticultural hybrids obtained in the late 19th century are very hardy bushes. They belong to the olive family, like their ancestor the common lilac, also known as European Lilac. Native to Southeast Europe and western Asia, specifically the Balkan Peninsula, it arrived in Western Europe at the end of the Renaissance. In nature, this indomitable plant with its very fragrant bluish-purple flowers colonizes rocky hills and braves cold winters. The hybrids are appreciated for their generous and fragrant flowering that perfumes the garden in spring on vigorously growing bushes. Plant it in the sun in a good and well-drained garden soil, even limestoney. Lilac clusters last a long time in a vase. Imagine that with the 'Three Sisters' lilac, you can create a bouquet with three colors and three varieties using just one plant.

The Three Sisters variety is a lilac that, over the years, forms a small tree with an erect habit, reaching an average height of 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) and a spread of 1 m. It spontaneously 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 appearance as a small tree. Its triangular and cordate leaves, 8 to 12 cm (3.1 to 4.7 in) long and 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3.1 in) wide, appear in spring in a tender green shade with a satin finish. Flowering takes place from April to May, earlier or later depending on the climate. At the end of one-year-old branches, paired compound clusters called thyrses appear, ranging from 10 to 30 cm (3.9 to 11.8 in) in length. Flower buds open into single or double flowers depending on the varieties. In double-flowered varieties, the entire inflorescence combines two colors: the buds are darker than the flowers. Their scent is quite powerful.

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 feature in a small garden. Surrounded by a bed of ground-cover roses and catmints, in a dedicated small space, this modest subject becomes a bush covered in glory in spring. Easy to grow in cool and relatively well-watered climates, even in the mountains, the common lilac thrives in ordinary, fresh, preferably limestone, but well-drained soils. Use it in large flowering hedges, together with single-flowered roses, mock oranges, amelanchiers, hawthorns, like Paul's Scarlet, Cotinus, or large buddleias (B. alternifolia). A lilac hedge, together with flowering cherries, Chinese almond, flowering plum, and ornamental apple trees, planted above a sunken path, is a true delight in spring.