Syringa vulgaris Zhemchuzhina

The common lilac or Syringa vulgaris 'Zhemchuzhina' is an excellent Russian variety dating back to 1964, with a remarkably fragrant spring flowering. Its large clusters of single to semi-double florets display a tender blue-violet to light pink colour, mixed with pretty rose-purple buds. This deciduous bush with a very bushy habit also stands out for its beautiful vigour in the garden, allowing it to thrive in a large flowering hedge or a wild shrub border. Its delicate and fragrant flowers are ideal for making bouquets.

The Syringa vulgaris 'Zhemchuzhina' is a deciduous bush from the olive family, obtained in Russia by V. Bibikova and N. Smol'skiy in the early 1960s. It is often forgotten that 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 untamed plant with highly fragrant blue-violet-purple flowers colonises rocky hills and withstands cold winters.

The 'Zhemchuzhina' variety forms a sturdy bush with an upright and rounded habit, reaching an average height of 3m (9 ft 10 in) and a spread of 2.50m (8 ft 2 in). Its triangular and heart-shaped leaves, measuring 4 to 12cm (1.6 to 4.7 in) long and 3 to 8cm (1.2 to 3.1 in) wide, appear in spring in a medium green shade with a satin finish. Flowering takes place in early May. At the tips of one-year-old branches, compound clusters called thyrses, measuring 15 to 18cm (5.9 to 7.1 in) long, appear. The rose-purple floral buds open into light rose-violet florets with bluish reflections, creating a range of tender colours without being insipid.

Easily grown in cool and relatively water-rich climates, even in mountainous areas, the common lilac 'Zhemchuzhina' thrives in ordinary, moist, preferably calcareous but well-drained soils. Use it abundantly mixed with other white, pink or red varieties in large flowering hedges, alongside single-flowered roses, mock oranges, deutzias, serviceberries, Itea or large buddleias (B.macrostachya, B.officinalis, B. alternifolia). A hedge of lilacs, flowering cherries, Chinese almond trees, Japanese quinces, and ornamental apple trees, planted above a sunken path, is a true delight in spring. It can also be used as a standalone plant, surrounded by a ground cover rose bed, in a small dedicated space, to transform this modest subject into a grandiose bush, covered in glory in the heart of spring.