Recommended for your garden in the south of Spain: Syringa oblata

Commonly called early lilac, broadleaf lilac or Korean lilac, it is in full bloom at the moment and is Malaga's Concepción botanical gardens flower of the month

Denise Bush

Malaga

Friday, 11 April 2025, 12:23 | Updated 13:04h.

The plant of the month in Malaga's Jardín Botánico La Concepción is Syringa oblata; commonly called early lilac, broadleaf lilac or Korean lilac. It is in full bloom at the moment and can be found growing near to the lake in the south zone of the gardens.

It is a member of the olive family (Olaceae) and native to China and Korea where it is found growing in open forest, alongside rivers and paths. It is cultivated there to extract its essential oils for the perfume and cosmetic industry.

This lilac not only has beautiful racemes of scented flowers during early spring, but also has some vivid autumn colour, its leaves turning red before falling. In its natural habitat it can reach five metres tall but is more usually grown as a small tree.

Early lilac is not fussy about soil, as long as it is rich in organic material and is free-draining. It is not completely drought hardy and will need regular watering during the summer.

It can be propagated by seed, which can be sown fresh, or from green or semi-ripe cuttings taken with a heel. Older seed will need to be stratified before sowing (a period of time in a cold environment such as in a fridge).

More plants can also be raised by layering lower stems in the spring although this can take up to a year to develop roots.

Deadheading before the blooms can set seed will ensure an even more plentiful show of flowers the following year.

The genus name 'Syringa' comes from the Greek 'syrinx' which means 'tube', this is probably because the young stems are hollow and were popular to make toy flutes for children. The specific epithet 'oblata' is from the Latin 'oblate' which refers to the shape of the leaves; they are wider than they are long and therefore nearly an oval in shape.

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