Scentara® Double Blue Lilac

Scentara® Double Blue Lilac announces spring with a full sensory commitment — not just with color, but with fragrance that carries well beyond the plant itself. Large, triangular panicles packed with lavender-blue double florets open in mid-spring, the buds emerging deep purple before expanding into flowers whose cool tones take on a noticeably blue cast in bright sunlight. The effect of the fully open clusters creates a texture uncommon in the lilac world, where single-flowered forms still dominate. The plant covers itself with these panicles so thoroughly that the upright deciduous framework nearly disappears beneath the bloom, and the fragrance it generates in that window places it among the most powerfully scented shrubs available for the northern garden. Fresh-cut stems bring that same intensity indoors, and Scentara® Double Blue holds up well as a cut flower for arrangements.

Growing as an upright, well-branched deciduous shrub reaching 6–8 feet tall and wide, Scentara® Double Blue performs in Zones 2–8, a cold hardiness rating that extends its reach from the upper Midwest and Canadian plains all the way through the warmer edges of the Southeast. It demands full sun — at least six hours daily, with eight or more preferred — and well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil, with good air circulation around the plant to support the excellent powdery mildew resistance that distinguishes it from the disease-prone Syringa vulgaris types. As with all old-wood blooming lilacs, pruning should occur immediately after flowering to avoid sacrificing next season's buds. Deadheading is beneficial but not required, and established plants are reliably low-maintenance, long-lived, and deer resistant.

Photo Credit: Proven Winners

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