Close-up of purple lilac flowers with green leaves in a spring garden
Scentara Pura Lilac has big purple flowers to bloom
Scentara Pura Lilac is perfect for flowering hedges
Scentara Pura Lilac has large blooms that have a powerful fragrance
Scentara Pura Lilac attracts pollinators
Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs logo
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Close-up of purple lilac flowers with green leaves in a spring garden
Scentara Pura Lilac has big purple flowers to bloom
Scentara Pura Lilac is perfect for flowering hedges
Scentara Pura Lilac has large blooms that have a powerful fragrance
Scentara Pura Lilac attracts pollinators
Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs logo
All media depicts mature plants.

Scentara Pura® Lilac (Syringa)

Shrub

  • Large purple/pink blooms have a powerful fragrance!
  • Attracts pollinators like bees & butterflies.
  • Hardy to cold climates & tolerant of heat.
  • Deer-resistant, disease-resistant, & overall easy to grow.
  • Zones 2-8, sun, 6' tall x 6' wide at maturity.
  • ZONE
  • EXPOSURE
  • HEIGHT

More info on plant sizes

Size: One Quart
$33.00
Sale: $33.00 Each
Total: $33.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee

Description

Color, fragrance, and reliability are what make lilacs such an endearing garden plant, and Scentara Pura® lilac (Syringa x hyacinthiflora) has all three in spades. Look for its big, pure purple flowers to bloom with an irresistible fragrance. It's the most fragrant lilac on the market! This cultivar from Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs won't disappoint! It's incredibly hardy to cold climates and has a higher heat tolerance than conventional lilacs. Plus, it has better resistance to leaf spot and powdery mildew. Scentara Pura® lilac is a fantastic choice for a memorable specimen, flowering hedge, or any garden or landscape project.

Details

Botanical name: Syringa x hyacinthiflora 'SMNSHSO'
Patent: PP#31,119
Common name: Lilac
Zone: 2 - 8
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun)
Height x width: 4-6'
Flower color: Purple
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Spring-fall
Bloom time: Early spring, midspring
Features: Proven Winners, privacy & screening, heat tolerant, fragrant, deer resistant, cold tolerant
Uses: Specimen, hedge, perennial gardens, landscaping, pollinator gardens, walkways

How to Grow

Soil: Lilacs do best in neutral to alkaline soils. Well-draining soil is imperative, as lilacs can suffer from root rot and other diseases in wet soil. Tolerates dry conditions once established but avoid excessive dryness when in bloom, as this will shorten the flower life.
Light: Full sun (> 6 hours sun)
Water: Average.
Space: 5 - 7'
Fertilizing: Apply a granular rose fertilizer in early spring and again after the first round of bloom has finished.
Winterizing: A good 2-3" layer of mulch is recommended; nothing else is needed.
Maintenance: Lilacs bloom on old wood, so should only be pruned after their spring bloom.
Blossoming purple lilac flowers with green leaves in a spring garden

Top 12 Spring-Blooming Shrubs For Your Garden

The birds are chirping, the days are getting longer, and new garden growth is emerging, which means spring has finally arrived. Here, we list some of our favorite shrubs that bloom in spring and discuss why these dazzling blooms belong in your garden.

Learn More

Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:

bush distance

Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:

bush distance zigzag

Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.

Plant Spacing Calculator

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  • 5 stars: 9 (69%)
  • 4 stars: 3 (23%)
  • 3 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 1 (8%)
H
H.D. (Illinois)
Awesome!

My plants look healthy and happy and are thriving in their new home. I would order from them again.

C
C.H. (Pennsylvania)
Doing great

This plant has survived the winter and is looking great. It is growing very well.

K
K.B.
Lilacs

Both plants appear to be dying, have had no luck with last 2 orders. Getting discouraged with quality as previous orders did pretty well

A
A.O. (North Carolina)
Lilac bushes

I ordered 15 bushes. Yes they were small BUT they were packed perfect and planted and are doing terrific! It may take a few years to size up, but I am very pleased

h
h.S. (Texas)
I always wanted one.Now it is growing find.

My rose bushes are nothing what I imagine. I pay good quality money for new born baby bushes. Not mature as promise. I am getting second though of purchase anything else. Although I love planting.

Hello! We're sorry you're unsatisfied with your plants. Our friendly customer service team would love to hear from you about your experience. Please contact [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. Thank you for your feedback and we look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee

A
A.B. (Illinois)
Lilac Bush

It arrived beautifully package, and looked very healthy! I am looking forward to watching it grow into a bush that will wonderful fragrance only a Lilac Bush can emit!

G
G.M. (Georgia)
Growing

Plants were in excellent shape on arrival.
They are putting on new growth already.
Looking Great.

T
T.S. (Missouri)
So far looking half good

My lilacs came fairly unhappy but they were well packaged. After planting one of them is growing leaves like crazy but the other one is still not happy. Hoping he’ll turn around soon. Great garden plants has been a great place to buy my plants!

L
L.S. (Washington)
Unhappy with recent lilac purchase

I ordered 3 lilac plants recently and wasn’t told they were barefoot. I read afterward that barefoot lilacs can take 4 or 5 years to blossom. So I called Great Garden Plants as I assumed they were bareroot since they were being shipped. I expressed my concerns with the woman on the phone and she say there was no reason to cancel, because their lilacs would in fact bloom in a year or so. She gave me the wrong information, as I have learned since then that unless you buy mature plans, they will definitely take 4 or 5 years to bloom. I figured that someone who works for your company would know what she was talking about but I was wrong. Now I’m stuck with 3 lilac bushes that won’t bloom for 4 or 5 years and I’m 78 years old. This is unacceptable. I now have to dig these up and buy 3 mature lilac bushes to plant in their place. I want my money back for these 3 lilac bushes immediately. I was duped and this is not lost on me.

Also the free lavender plant that I received with this order is almost dead.

Lastly I purchased a pink Heirloom climbing rose
bush from you last year. In the pictures, it showed large pink roses which is what I wanted. It has produced only one rose since then and it was tiny. That’s not at all what I wanted. All summer only one puny bloom. And it was very light pink, not like the vibrant pink in the picture. It has had fertilizer etc, so I’m taking good care of it. Again I feel like I’m being duped and I don’t like it.

If anyone asked me if I’m happy with what I ordered from Great Garden Plants, I would have to say no.

Hello! We are sorry that you're unsatisfied with your plants. Our customer service team has informed you that it will not take 5 years for your lilac to bloom. Ultimately, this shrub blooms on old wood, so once it's established for the season it will begin to produce blooms after about a year of new growth. As for your roses, normally we recommend pruning every year to promote new growth and best flower coverage, as well as keeping the plant from becoming too dry. When the soil becomes too dry, they can often become stressed, which decreases blooms or stops them altogether. You can learn more about roses on our blog, where we answer commonly asked questions about roses: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/questions-answered-series-roses-rosa/. We hope this helped, and thank you for your feedback. Happy gardening!

T
T.S.

Growing like crazy!

S
S.W. (Indiana)

It arrived In good condition and seems to be established with some new growth in it’s first month.

T
T.M. (Alabama)
lilac

settling in nicely. I should have ordered larger.

L
L.B. (Michigan)
Scentara Pura Lilac

I purchased two of these plants and both doing good. All my shrubs and plants from Great Gardens are doing exceptionally well except for one hydrangea, I bought so many in the last two years that I don’t know what one it was that died out. Overall, you guys are the best out there!

E
E.

Is this an adult plant that is ready to bloom when I plant it?

Great Garden Plants

The Scentara Pura® Lilac will ship to you as a young plant in a one-quart sized container. While it may not be a fully mature plant, these young plants are typically ready to establish themselves in your garden and bloom in the following seasons!

M
M.G.

Can you prune it on a regular basis or does it bloom on old wood?

Great Garden Plants

Lilac blooms on old wood, so they should be pruned once immediatly after they are done flowering in the spring, otherwise you risk cutting off next year's flower buds.

J
J.S.

How fast do they grow

Great Garden Plants

It's hard to say for certain, since so many factors - like weather, soil type, watering, fertilizing, and not least of all, the type of plant you purchased - all come into play. In general, plants spend their first year growing roots in their new home, the second year they have more energy to put into growth, and the third year, they are growing and flowering vigorously.

L
L.S.

In eastern TN what month is best to plant? Is there any time of the year it should not be planted?

Great Garden Plants

Hello! Spring is a great time for planting! The rule of thumb for spring planting is to get the plants in the ground once the threat of frost has passed and the ground has become workable.

K
K.A.

How long until a lilac bush reaches full size

Great Garden Plants

Hi there! Shrubs usually take three to five years to reach their mature size.