Miss Kim Lilac

Short on space, but want the spring fragrance of Lilac? Try the little cousin of the popular Common Purple Lilac. Meet the Miss Kim Lilac bush (Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim'). The overall size of the plant stays smaller remains denser and more rounded and grows a bit slower than Common Lilacs.

Also known as the Manchurian Lilac, this is an elegant shrub with a really nice natural shape. And don't worry. Even though Miss Kim is smaller in size, she still produces a huge display of fragrant flowers in spring. A Korean variety, she also produces flowers after all of the French Lilacs are done blooming. Add Miss Kim to a collection of Lilacs to extend your heavenly season of bloom.

The flower buds are dark purple-pink, but the flowers open pale lavender to ice blue. The abundant blooms finish their season by fading to a very soft lavender pink. The flowers feature that classic sweet Lilac fragrance that can be smelled all over the garden. They smother your shrub in late spring.

Her dark green leaves are smaller and rounded. During the summer, this tree will stay a pleasant green and as the season fades to fall, the leaves will blush red for an additional season of interest. In some years, the foliage turns a beautiful burgundy fall color. Plus, your Miss Kim has the best fall color of any Lilac on the market!

Miss Kim Lilac has great powdery mildew resistance and can be used in urban landscapes. Not only for her showy good looks, easy-care nature, and fragrant flowers, but she shows tolerance to urban pollution and can even tolerate road salt. Best of all, this is the best fragrant Lilac for the south! Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 3-8, Miss Kim requires fewer chill hours to produce bloom than French varieties.

Planting and Application:

There are so many ways to enjoy a compact Lilac in your landscape. Wherever you choose to use her, please know that she'll bloom best for you in full sun.

Let's start in the front yard. Need a bit of privacy, but don't want to feel too overwhelmed? Try a hedge of Miss Kim Lilacs along your fence line or front sidewalk. Once established, Miss Kim is seriously low maintenance. She can tolerate road salt, so try a friendly fence along the length of your front sidewalk.

If you have higher windows, or just want a bit of privacy for your front windows, she'll make a marvelous modern foundation planting. Use a single plant as a specimen to anchor the corner of a foundation planting.

This Miss Kim Lilac will catch more than just the jealous eyes of your neighbors. It brings butterflies and hummingbirds who love the easy access to the delicious nectar. Plant Miss Kim where you can enjoy the tremendous fragrance and enjoy the massive flower displays, and all the wildlife that are attracted to them. 

Use her in a side yard or create a lawn planting with a gently curved island garden bed. Use as a fantastic single focal point, or in groupings of three or odd numbers, for the most natural look. Underplant with smaller evergreens and other flowering plants. Don't forget the spring bulbs to really maximize the spring display.

For a dense hedge, plant 2 to 3 feet apart on center. You'll measure from the center of one plant to the center of the next. If you want an easy-breezy hedge that billows in the breezes, you can increase that space to 3 to 4 feet apart. They will just touch as mature plants.

The smaller size makes it the perfect plant to border a walkway or patio. However, you use it in the yard, plant it where you can enjoy it. Don't forget to cut armloads and bring them indoors to enjoy in your cut flower arrangements. That way you can enjoy the blooms and fragrance anywhere!

In backyard landscaping, Miss Kim is fantastic for massing, hedging, and repeating along the back of your mixed borders. Picture a staggered planting along the back of your perennial or mixed border planting. Miss Kim is used as a mass planting on many residential and commercial sites. Plant in a checkerboard 3 feet apart to create a wonderful mass planting.

You can even keep them in large containers for several years. Use container plants for strategic screening on the patio or pool deck. Try one on either side of your entryways. You will love the creative possibilities afforded by this desirable shrub.

Love Miss Kim but want a taller version? Try the Miss Kim Lilac Tree-Form and elevate your Miss Kim Lilac shrub hedge with a unique focal point!

• Massive Display of Fragrant Purple Buds in Early Spring
• Fragrant Lavender Flower Clusters
• Beautiful Dark Green Leaves
• Green Foliage Turns Burgundy in Fall
• Nice, Rounded Form - Branches to the Ground
• Compact Smaller Lilac Fits in Any Yard
• Attracts Butterflies & Excellent in Cut Arrangements
• Interest in Three Seasons of The Year
• Best Lilac for the Warmer Zone to 8

#ProPlantTips for Care:

People love Lilacs for their fragrant blooms, so we want to provide some expert care tips to encourage the best blooms.

Like all Lilacs, you'll get the best flowering if you site it in full sun. If there is too much shade, your Lilac will limp along and produce leaves, but it will likely never produce blooms. Air circulation is always a good idea for Lilacs. Sunny, well-drained soils are always best for the best vigor and flowers. If you see long-lasting puddles in the area you want to plant a Miss Kim, bring additional native soil and create a mound 18 - 24 inches. Plant directly in that mound. This is especially true if you have clay soils. She will not tolerate standing water or wet feet.

Please don't plant her too deeply, Miss Kim would rather be planted exactly at the same depth it was growing in at the nursery. There is no need to over-mulch this Lilac, covering the root system with around 3-4 inches of Arborist bark chips.

The first year, you'll want to provide a moderate amount of water. If you haven't gotten a good rain, get out there and check the soil near your Lilacs. Poke your finger in the soil. If it's getting dry, drag the hose out and give a nice, long drink. Once Miss Kim's roots are established in your soil - after the first season or two - you can rely on rainfall. This is a drought-tolerant shrub in all but extended periods without rain.

Keep your eye on her if you have a very long delay between rainfall. You may need to give supplemental water in late fall, too. For Lilacs near the lawn, be careful about high nitrogen lawn fertilizers near the base of the shrub. This will make lots of foliage but discourage blooms. Instead, feed it a nice slow-release fertilizer for blooms once a year in spring after your shrubs have leafed out.

While this shrub grows about 6 - 10 inches a year into a compact shape, it's possible to prune it if needed. Prune directly following the bloom to correct crossing branches or remove any broken limbs. Lilacs bloom on last year's wood. If you prune too early or too late, you'll lose the flowers for next spring. Prune it right after it flowers and before seeds are formed assures you an abundance of flowers the following year.

Once your plant gets about 10 years old, it's time for a 3-year renewal pruning project. After the flowers are finished, remove 1/3 of the thickest, oldest stems all the way down at the ground. This leaves the younger thinner stems in place for a nice natural form of the plant. Do this each year for 3 years. After 3 years, you'll have a new shrub! You can also hard prune Miss Kim Lilacs to 2 to 3 feet tall if desired.

Miss Kim Lilac is listed on many deer-resistant plant lists. Remember, if deer populations are high and the food is limited deer may sample any plant. If you live with deer in your area, apply repellent spray on planting day. Deer are hungry and curious, and you want to train them to leave your plants alone. Reapply according to the label.

• Full Sun & Good Air Circulation
• Moderate Consistent Moisture
• Mulched Well-Drained Enriched Soil
• Prune Only Immediately After Flowering
• Hardy, Easy Care & Resistant to Powdery Mildew
• Deer Resistant

This is a very desirable flowering ornamental shrub, and Nature Hills growers take pride in their commercial-grade landscape materials. You'll love the quality of Miss Kim Lilac bushes from Nature Hills. Please don't let another year go by without adding this outstanding Lilac to your garden. Order yours today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does Miss Kim Lilac get?

Miss Kim Lilac can reach a mature height of 6-7 feet tall and a width of 5 - 6 feet in optimal conditions.

Is the Miss Kim Lilac any good?

The Miss Kim Lilac is a fantastic fragrant shrub that is smaller and more compact than other Lilac varieties.

How do you take care of a Miss Kim Lilac?

Provide your Lilac with full sun and well-drained enriched soil that has a good layer of mulch over the soil surface. Water moderately yet consistently and fertilize with a blooming plant fertilizer at least once a year. Prune only immediately after the first flowers have faded.

Are Miss Kim Lilac Bushes fragrant?

Miss Kim Lilacs carrying the distinctive Lilac scent!

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won'ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Miss Kim Lilac for sale here at NatureHills.com!