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Flower Index Index by Family 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6

Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim' | Lilac Miss Kim, Manchurian lilac

First Bloom Dates:

2017 April 3 - First Lilac

2018 April 24

2021 Planted Lilac Miss Kim

2022 May 8 Lilac Miss Kim

2024 April 16

Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim' | Lilac Miss Kim, Manchurian lilac

Oleaceae (Olive or Lilac Family) Pronounced O-lee-A-see-eye

Pronounced Suh-RIN-gah Pyou-bes-ens Peh-chew-la

Syringa is a from the Greek word "syrinx" which means "tube" because the stem when the spongy pith is removed from the stem it leaves a hollow tube that can be used for pan-pipes!

Pubescens means "to become hairy, downy, or an adult." Oh my. Not going there! The subspecies of Patula means “with a spreading habit.”

My Lilac Miss Kim is a dwarf deciduous shrub. I bought the Lilac Miss Kim in 2021.

I have never cut mine back since I bought it in 2021 and here in 2024 I believe I will begin cutting it back after it blooms. This is a slow growing shrub which is a good thing for this older person who does not want to work as much in the garden as in her younger days.

The flower panicles should be at least deadheaded every year before the seeds set which will increase the blooms for the next year. Right after the blooms are finished is also the time to prune because this shrub blooms on old wood (much like a Forsythia). Most of the growth happens within 60 days of blooms, so prompt pruning should be a thing. I do want to keep my Lilac a certain height so I knew pruning would eventually be necessary. I put it in the corner of the fences as an anchor, so I do want it to get a little larger, but not too large. I believe pruning will encourage new branches to shoot out which will contain flowers next year. I do want to avoid severe pruning as I have read that this might set it back on blooms.

Another thought is that this could be pruned more like a tree by removing the lower limbs. Right now I am content with it being more like a shrub shape.

Lilac Miss Kim grows to about 6 to 8 feet tall and that is too tall for my liking. I plan to allow it to grow about 4 to 5 feet tall. The common lilac is Syrina vulgaris and it grows much taller. Lilac Miss Kim is a dwarf bush! I am not sure how they can call 8 feet tall dwarf!

Lilac Miss Kim's lilac-purple blooms, which are more like ice violet, are about 3 to 5 inches long. They bloom on branch tips and are often in pairs. These lilacs are sweetly fragrant. The oval leaves are dark and turn burgundy in the Autumn.

I do not know what kind of Lilac was my first one. Image search indicates it is Bloomerang® Dwarf Pink lilac and I do think it looks like this one or possibly Scent And Sensibility™ Pink Lilac because both have the same dark center in the flowers. Regardless, it was blooming good, but I believe hubby thought it was a weed and took it out. In 2023, I began to mark my plants with small white flags in hopes to prevent this from happening again and again. My first photos were in 2013 and the last were in 2018.

2024

This was taken early in the garden season when I first spied the buds, March 22. It took weeks until April 16 when I first decided it had officially bloomed.

This is a first bloom, but not really! It sure did change a lot slowly ove the weeks. I decided an official first bloom is when the individual white flowers pop out. I did find one lower on the shrub on this same date.