Syringa, Common Lilac, French Lilac 'President Lincoln'

Fantastic plant in two locations in zone 5a and in zone 6. The best lilac I have ever grown because it is mildew free. Gorgeous flowers.<...Read Morebr />
I got six-inch plants (3) and they were steller, and six feet tall in very little time.


And IMPORTANT - this lilac gets no mildew. One of the few.


Highly recommended.

I like to have different varieties of lilacs that have different colored flowers, and this one has a nice plain blue color.

...Read More However, it has a couple of drawbacks. One is a comment I have seen about it elsewhere that I think is valid. Its leaves are so large and abundant that the flowers don't tend to show as prominently as with other lilacs.

The more fundamental problem is the following: Where I live (Pacific Northwest) we get virtually no rain in the summer. My lilacs are in a part of my yard that I want to have plants that don't need watering once they are full grown. There were a few old lilacs in that area when I got the house and they have done fine without watering. I have planted a bunch more lilacs, like 50-60. So far they have tended to require at least a few waterings in the summer, but they shouldn't need much once they are a few more years older. Among the ones I've planted, however, the Lincolns stand out as the ones that the leaves tend to wilt on most readily. I guess it's just that they have so much leaf mass they have a lot of leaves to evaporate water from, hence they tend to dry out more readily.

On account of that, I am thinking about replacing these with a different variety.

All my others seem to be more drought tolerant. These include President Grevy, Monge, Burgundy Queen, Frank Klager.

If you are growing lilacs in a place where they get regular water, whether from rain or watering, then this won't be an issue and you might find the Lincoln a lilac to your liking. I'd definitely keep mine if it weren't for the fact that they seem to be less drought tolerant.