Common lilac vs Preston lilac

Common lilac and Preston lilac are often considered for the same spot in the garden (flowers, specimen, screening, pollinator friendly). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Common lilac

Syringa vulgaris 3 m × 2 m after 10 years

A large, long-lived deciduous shrub grown for its strongly scented flower clusters in spring. It copes well with sun, heat and limy soil, and with…

Shrub

Full sun

from about CZK 41

Preston lilac

Syringa × prestoniae 2.5 m × 2 m after 10 years

A large, upright then rounded lilac that flowers a week or two after common lilac, in late May and June, with big conical panicles in pink, purplish…

Shrub

Full sun

from about CZK 380

Key differences

Common lilac tolerates drought better than Preston lilac.
Common lilac needs less water than Preston lilac.
Common lilac also takes heavy clay, Preston lilac needs a loose, free-draining soil.
Preston lilac needs less care than Common lilac.

Which one to choose?

Common lilac is the better choice if you cannot water regularly or the soil is heavy clay.

Preston lilac is the better choice if you have little time for care.

Watch out for

Common lilac

In Central Europe it escapes from gardens: its root suckers form dense stands in dry grassland, on rocky slopes and along woodland edges, where they crowd out native plants. It is on the official invasive species list in Germany and is treated as invasive in Hungarian botanical literature. The foliage often gets powdery mildew by late summer, lilac leaf miner browns the leaves, and late frost can kill the flower buds. Grafted cultivars also sucker from the rootstock, so remove those shoots at the base.

Preston lilac

It flowers poorly in shade and sulks in waterlogged soil. It resists powdery mildew well; scale insects and lilac borers are occasional. With age it gets leggy at the base, which you can correct by cutting a few old stems to the ground.

The data side by side

Feature	Common lilac	Preston lilac
Group	Shrub	Shrub
Size after 10 years	3 m × 2 m (uncertain)	2.5 m × 2 m (uncertain)
Ultimate size	3–7 m × 2–4 m (uncertain)	2.4–3.5 m × 1.8–3 m
Growth rate	Medium	Medium (uncertain)
Light	Full sun	Full sun
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous	Average garden soil
Hardiness	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	High	no data
Foliage	Deciduous	Deciduous
Flowering	April–May, purple, pink, white, blue	May–June, pink, purple, white
Water need	Low	Medium
Drought tolerance	High	Medium
Maintenance	Medium	Low
Planting distance	200 cm	200 cm
For dogs	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
For cats	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
For children	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
Typical price	approx. CZK 79	about CZK 450 (40–60 cm)

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 26, 2026

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