Meyer Lilac 'Palibin'

Meyer Lilac 'Palibin' (Syringa meyeri 'Palibin') is all the scent of May lilac packed into a shrub no bigger than an armchair. The small dark green leaves all but vanish under upright panicles of lilac-pink flowers, and it starts blooming while still very young, when other lilacs are only building branches.

Plant it where you pass every day: beside a bench, by the door, in a border or in a large patio pot. In 10-20 years it reaches only 1-1.5 m in height and the same across, so unlike tall common lilac it never outgrows its spot and needs no formative pruning.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The fragrance is far stronger than you would expect from so small a shrub: in May the scent fills that whole corner of the garden.
• Dimensions: 1-1.5 m tall and 1-1.5 m wide at 10-20 years.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -40 °C (USDA zone 3).
• Flowering: In May-June lilac-pink panicles open and fill the garden with a sweet fragrance.
• Light: Happiest in full sun, where it flowers most abundantly; it also takes partial shade.
• Soil: Loves fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soils of neutral to alkaline reaction, and thrives even on chalk.
• Watering: Water moderately: keep the soil moist - the one thing the shrub dislikes is water standing at the roots.
• Care: Easy care: light tidying pruning (group 1) and a mulched root zone when planted in the sun.
• Landscape use: Excellent in a shrub border, in groups and low hedges, and equally at home in containers and front gardens.
• Origin: The Royal Horticultural Society has given the cultivar its Award of Garden Merit.