Syringa vulgaris Nadezhda

The 'Nadezha' Lilac is a Russian variety with double, highly scented flowers derived from the Syringa vulgaris, the common lilac. Its large clusters are filled with purplish-pink buds that open into double mauve florets, turning bluish. In spring, they bloom profusely on an upright and rounded shrub. Perfect in a large flowering hedge, this beautiful lilac can also be placed as a specimen plant. Easy and generous, it adapts to ordinary garden soil, even limestone. Its highly fragrant flowers are wonderful in flower arrangements.

Falling into disuse in the 1960s-1970s, when American or Asian lilacs, with their slender, mannequin-like shape and often perpetual flowering, were discovered, European lilacs and their hybrids, which are more massive, are making a strong comeback in our gardens. Just like old roses, which were criticised for their single flowering and were therefore abandoned in favour of modern hybrids, European lilacs and their hybrids are making a strong comeback in our gardens.

Syringa vulgaris 'Nadezhda' (also known as 'Hope') is a relatively new and quite rare variety of the common lilac. Mr Kolesnikov selected it in Russia not only for its beautiful colour but also for its particularly large inflorescences that cover the tree. "Nadezhda" means "hope" in Russian. It is a shrub of the olive family.

This variety 'Nadezhda' forms an upright and rounded shrub, reaching a height of 4 m (most often 3.50 m) and a spread of 2.50 m, on average. It naturally forms an initially upright bush that becomes rounded over time. Its deciduous, triangular and heart-shaped leaves, 4 to 12 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide, appear in a relatively dark green shade in spring. Flowering occurs in May or sometimes as early as April 15, depending on the climate. Large ramified clusters appear at the ends of one-year-old branches, grouped in pairs or even more. These compound clusters, called thyrses, sometimes reach a length of 30 cm. Their overall pyramidal shape is somewhat oval. The dark, purplish-pink floral buds open into double flowers, with the corolla forming a long tube at the base. The clusters create a beautiful gradient of purplish-pink to pale bluish mauve tones. They diffuse a pronounced, very floral fragrance.

Easy to grow in any well-drained soil in almost all climates, the common lilac 'Nadezhda' is an essential shrub in a flower garden, whether romantic or old-fashioned. In large flowering hedges, use it mixed with other varieties of lilacs (Syringa), white, mauve, and pink. For example, combine it with wild rose-flowered roses, large mock oranges, or spike Amelanchier... A hedge of lilacs, ornamental cherry trees, Chinese almond trees, and ornamental apple trees planted above a sunken path is a true delight in spring. It can also be used as a standalone plant, surrounded by a ground-cover rose bed, in a small space dedicated to making this modest subject a grandiose shrub at the heart of spring.

It is often forgotten that the common lilac, also known as European lilac, is actually native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia, specifically the Balkan Peninsula. It only arrived in Western Europe at the end of the Renaissance. In nature, this indomitable plant, with its highly fragrant blue-violet-purple flowers, covers rocky hills and withstands cold winters.