Charles Joly lilac
Syringa vulgaris 'Charles Joly'
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Sizeup to 15 feet tall
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Ascending
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Reddish purple double
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Charles Joly' lilac (Syringa vulgaris 'Charles Joly') is a shrub for borders, cottage gardens, specimens, and cut flowers. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist soil of most types. The reddish purple double blooms open in early to late spring and smell sweet. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds visit them. It is not a favorite of deer or rabbits, though hungry ones will eat almost anything.
Pairs well with Creeping phlox, Little Beauty tulip, Standing Ovation little bluestem, and Virginia rose.