I never expected to fall in love with lilacs, but once I planted a few in my garden, I was hooked. They’re easy to care for, smell amazing, and look beautiful when they bloom — what’s not to love? Over time, I ended up turning them into a full lilac hedge, and I’ve picked up a bunch of tips along the way. If you’re thinking about doing the same, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know: the best types of lilacs for hedges, how to plant them, and how to keep them looking great with minimal fuss.
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance hedge, a lilac hedge is a great choice. Lilac is hardy, fast-growing—and blooms beautifully too!
Lilac (Syringa) is an undemanding, deciduous shrub that tolerates pruning very well. Its blossoms appear in lush panicles, with individual flowers that emit a pleasant fragrance. So why not plant an entire lilac hedge in your garden? In this guide, you’ll find out which lilac varieties are best suited for hedges, what to keep in mind when planting, and how to care for a lilac hedge properly.
Contents
Which Lilac Varieties Are Suitable for Hedges?
There are several types of lilac that are perfect for hedging. All of them offer wonderfully fragrant, blooming privacy screens—and they pair beautifully with other spring bloomers! Keep in mind, though, that lilac hedges can’t be trimmed into precise geometric shapes. Instead, they work best as loosely pruned or free-growing flowering hedges, with vigorous varieties like ‘Katharine Havemeyer’ reaching up to four meters wide.
Though pruning can reduce the width somewhat, you’ll never get a lilac hedge as narrow as a boxwood or beech hedge. Its dense foliage provides good summer privacy, but to ensure the hedge is opaque, it should not be pruned narrower than 100 to 120 cm.
Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and its many hybrids—often referred to as garden lilacs—are traditional cottage garden plants. They grow four to five meters high, sometimes up to seven. Their wonderfully fragrant blossoms appear from mid-May to early June in shades of white, deep violet, pink, and the characteristic pale lilac hue.
Unlike many other deciduous shrubs, Common Lilac tolerates wind very well, making it ideal for windy or flat regions as a windbreak hedge. However, this wild variety forms root suckers. These can be useful for propagation but may be annoying in individual plantings. You can dig them out with a spade, though you’ll need to do it regularly—typically once a year. Grafted or selected varieties tend to produce fewer suckers.
Root Suckers in Lilac Hedges
What might be annoying in a solitary lilac is actually beneficial in a hedge: root suckers help it grow dense from the base. Remove only those that break out sideways. If suckers are a concern, choose grafted varieties grown on Hungarian Lilac (Syringa josikaea), which produce fewer suckers. Always ask your garden center or nursery about the rootstock when buying.
Preston Lilac (Syringa prestoniae) grows to around three meters and produces few if any suckers. This Canadian hybrid between Nodding Lilac and Villous Lilac is very frost-hardy and flowers about two weeks after Syringa vulgaris, with more delicate blooms.
Tip: Combine both types to extend the blooming season of your lilac hedge.
Chinese Lilac (Syringa chinensis)
This type is great for free-growing flowering hedges that require minimal pruning. A hybrid between Common Lilac and Persian Lilac, it grows to about three to four meters and blooms from May to June. The most well-known variety is ‘Saugeana,’ also sold under the name Royal Lilac ‘Saugeana’.
Note: Butterfly Bush (Buddleja), though often called lilac in European, is a different genus and not a true lilac.
What Location Is Best for a Lilac Hedge?
Lilacs love the sun—they need at least four hours of sunlight daily. While partial shade is tolerated, less sun means fewer blooms and more foliage. Ideal soil should be loose, well-draining, and rich in nutrients. Lilacs handle heat and drought well but dislike waterlogged or compacted soil. Preston Lilac prefers slightly more moisture.
When to Plant a Lilac Hedge
While container plants can be planted year-round, autumn or spring is best. For fall planting (e.g., September), the soil is still warm, allowing roots to establish before winter. If planting in summer, ensure the soil stays consistently moist afterward.
Lilacs are also available bare-rooted, which is a more affordable option, but only freshly dug in fall. In spring, bare-rooted lilacs usually come from cold storage.
How to Plant a Lilac Hedge
- Dig planting holes twice as wide as the root ball.
- Loosen the soil and add compost or planting soil.
- Mix the excavated soil with compost and use it to refill the hole.
- Plant the lilac at the same depth it was previously grown (look for a darker ring at the base).
- Press the soil down gently and water thoroughly.
Recommended Plant Spacing for Lilac Hedges
For a relaxed, natural hedge, space plants 80 to 100 cm apart. Most varieties—like ‘Andenken an Ludwig Späth’—grow 150 to 200 cm wide. If space allows, stagger the planting for a fuller effect. Even narrow-growing varieties like ‘Michael Buchner’ shouldn’t be planted more densely than two per meter.
Watering: Closely spaced hedges need more water, as roots compete for moisture and nutrients.
Clearance from Buildings: Ensure at least 50 cm between hedge and walls for easy pruning access.
How to Care for and Prune a Lilac Hedge
Without pruning, lilac hedges can get too large. Important to note: Lilacs form next year’s flower buds in summer.
So if you prune in summer, you’ll lose some blossoms. Light pruning right after flowering is best—every two years for loosely shaped hedges.
Important: Never prune if birds are nesting. In that case, postpone until autumn or winter—but this may reduce next year’s bloom.
Rejuvenation Pruning
If your lilac hedge becomes old or woody, perform rejuvenation pruning in early spring, as long as no birds are nesting.
Cut back only about a third of the oldest stems each year to about 30 cm. This keeps the hedge somewhat private while still allowing blooms. Individual shrubs can be cut back entirely, but you’ll miss blooms the following season.
Fertilizing & Mulching
Even though lilacs tolerate drought, they still need water during dry spells—especially when leaves start to droop. In early spring, apply a bloom-boosting fertilizer with extra phosphorus, or spread compost (free from weed seeds).
Add a mulch layer (dry grass clippings or bark compost) to retain soil moisture and promote a loose soil structure.
Due to shallow root systems, lilacs create “root pressure,” which can hinder nearby plants. For underplanting, choose only tough perennials like:
- Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa)
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis)
- Cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum)
Creating a lilac hedge has honestly been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my garden. It gives me privacy, fills the yard with fragrance each spring, and adds that old-fashioned charm I didn’t even know I was missing. Sure, it takes a bit of patience and the occasional trim, but the payoff is totally worth it. If you’re on the fence, I say go for it — you won’t regret watching your hedge come to life year after year.
