Syringa microphylla 'SUPERBA'

Littleleaf lilac is a deciduous shrub from China. It make much smaller leaves compared to common lilacs. They are only about 3-5 cm large, broadly ovate or almost heart-shaped, soft green and partly hairy which is why its former scientific name was syringa pubescens and microphylla (littleleaf) was only its subspecies.

Superba is probably the only variety of littleleaf lilac used in commerce today. It boasts profuse erect racemes composed of small, tubular, soft pink, and sweetly fragrant flowers in May. They unfold into 4 tips but you can try your luck as in searching for a 4-leaf-clover because exceptionally there are unique flowers with 5 tips. In good summers this lilac re-blooms in August again producing fewer flowers in smaller racemes.

It forms a bushy shrub about 2m tall and a little over 3m wide. It can be placed among smaller plants as a small flowering specimen, or used in green hedges among shrubs of different leaf shapes and colours. If you purchase a good looking plant you probably won't need to prune it ever, otherwise you can prune it just after flowering (in June) in order to encourage formation of a good framework. If you need to rejuvenate it, do so before flowering and fertilize it after.

Lilacs can be grown in many soil types. For best result use reasonably fertile, moist but well-drained soil, preferably neutral or alkaline. Full sun is essential for profuse flowering but part shade will be tolerated with slightly fewer flowers. Fully hardy to min. -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 16-11-2016