Syringa vulgaris - MONGE

🌸 General description

• Botanical name: Syringa vulgaris ‘Monge’
• Family: Oleaceae (olive family)
• Origin: Horticultural hybrid created in 1913 by Victor Lemoine, a famous French breeder based in Nancy.
• Type: Deciduous ornamental shrub.

🌿 Characteristics

• Mature height: Approximately 3 to 4 meters.
• Spread: 2 to 3 meters.
• Habit: Upright and bushy.
• Foliage: Medium green, heart-shaped, deciduous.
• Growth: Medium to fast.
• Longevity: Very good, often several decades.

🌼 Flowering

• Period: May to June (varies depending on climate).
• Flowers:
  • Very large, dense, upright panicles (conical clusters).
  • Color: Dark purplish purple to deep magenta, becoming slightly lighter when mature.
  • Fragrance: Very strong and sweet, typical of lilacs.
• Attraction: Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

🌞 Growing conditions

• Exposure: Sun (at least 6 hours/day). Tolerates light partial shade.
• Soil:
  • Prefers rich, well-drained, neutral to calcareous soil.
  • Avoid heavy, waterlogged soils.
  • Hardiness: Excellent, down to -25°C.
• Care:
  • Prune immediately after flowering (never in winter, otherwise the flower buds will be removed).
  • Remove wilted flowers and suckers at the base to maintain a harmonious shape.

🌷 Use in the garden

• On its own, to enjoy its shape and fragrance.
• In shrub beds or loose hedges.
• Ideal near a patio or window, to enjoy its fragrance.
• Cut flowers last well in vases.

💡 Did you know?

‘Monge’ is part of a series of lilacs created by Lemoine and named after French scientists and personalities. It pays tribute to the mathematician Gaspard Monge (1746–1818), inventor of descriptive geometry.