Syringa vulgaris Znamya Lenina - Common Lilac

The Lilac 'Znamia Lenina', born in Russia, is a particularly flowerful and colourful variety from the Syringa vulgaris, the common lilac. Its clusters of single flowers, long, thin and erect, bloom profusely in the spring, in an unusual raspberry colour, intermediate between purple red and dark pink, with a hint of violet. Its vigour allows it to settle in a large flowering hedge, or a cluster of rustic bushes. A deciduous, easy and generous bush, which should be present in every garden, regardless of its style and pruning. Its clusters of very fragrant flowers are wonderful in flower bouquets

Fallen out of use in the 1960s-1970s following the discovery of the American or Asian lilacs, the European lilac and its hybrids, larger, are making a strong comeback in our gardens, like the old roses which were reproached for their single flowering, and were therefore neglected in favour of modern hybrids.

The Syringa vulgaris 'Znamia Lenina', so named in 1936 in honour of Lenin by its creator Kolesnikov, is a bush of the oleaceae family still present in gardens and nurseries' catalogues. It is often forgotten that the common lilac, also known as European Lilac, is actually native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, more precisely the Balkan peninsula, and only arrived in Western Europe at the end of the Renaissance. In nature, this untameable plant with very fragrant bluish-violet-purple flowers colonises the rocky hills and braves cold winters.

The variety 'Znamia Lenina' forms a bush with an erect and rounded habit, reaching a height of up to 4 m (13 ft 1 in) (most often 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)) and a spread of 2.50 m, on average. It spontaneously forms a bush composed of multiple stems, like the philadelphus with which it should not be confused. Its leaves, deciduous, triangular and heart-shaped, 4 to 12 cm (1.6 to 4.7 in) long and 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3.1 in) wide, appear in the spring, in a fairly dark green shade, with a satin finish. The flowering takes place in May or sometimes from April 15th depending on the climate. At the end of the one-year-old branches appear long ramified clusters grouped in pairs, or even more. These compound clusters, called thyrsus, sometimes reach 25 cm (9.8 in) in length. Their shape, generally pyramidal, is rather slim. The deep purple-red flower buds bloom into single flowers, with four petals, the corolla forming a long tube at the base. Their red-pink-violet colour is both rich and intense. They emit a pronounced, very floral fragrance.

Easy to grow in any drained soil, under almost all our climates, the Common Lilac 'Znamia Lenina' is a must-have bush in a flower garden or an old-fashioned one. Use it, mixed with other white, mauve, pink or red varieties, abundantly, in large flowering hedges, in company of single-flowered roses, philadelphus, or amelanchiers. A hedge of lilacs, flowering Prunus, Almond tree of China, Japanese quinces and ornamental apple trees, planted overlooking a sunken alley, is a real delight in spring. It can also be used alone, surrounded by a bed of ground-cover roses, in a small dedicated space, to make this modest subject a grandiose bush, covered in glory at the heart of spring.