Lilac 'Miss Kim'
Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim' · Oleaceae Popular
A compact, rounded lilac with purple buds that open to icy lavender, fragrant flowers, later than the common lilac. Unlike other lilacs, its leaves turn burgundy in autumn.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around lilac 'Miss Kim'
The planner designed this bed around lilac 'Miss Kim' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why lilac 'Miss Kim' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lilac 'Miss Kim' × 1, lavender
- 2 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 3, purple
- 3 Cottage pinks × 12, pink
- 4 Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' × 4, yellow
- 5 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 6 Beardtongue 'Husker Red' × 3, white
- 7 Caucasian scabious 'Fama' × 8, blue
- 8 Allium 'Globemaster' × 4, purple
- 9 Daffodil × 12, orange
- 10 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only lavender.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' (4½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late May to mid June.
- Fills no gap. Every week it is in flower, at least four other kinds are too. It thickens a season that is already full.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 8 groups (75%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The longest in flower is verbena 'Homestead Purple': 21 weeks, from mid May to early October. The back corners are held by lilac 'Miss Kim' and sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers', the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where lilac 'Miss Kim' goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It is in scale with a modern garden, resists mildew and tolerates more heat than common lilac. It needs no regular pruning.
- Lilac scent in a smaller garden
- A late lilac to extend the season
- Autumn colour
What to plant with lilac 'Miss Kim'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Peony: in flower together for three weeks, from late May; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': in flower together for four weeks, from late May; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Siberian iris: in flower together for three weeks, from late May; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Lilac 'Miss Kim' vs Common lilac.
Questions about lilac 'Miss Kim'
Does lilac 'Miss Kim' need sun or shade?
Lilac 'Miss Kim' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does lilac 'Miss Kim' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does lilac 'Miss Kim' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Early June to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 5 | Late May to mid June |
| Zone 6 | Mid May to mid June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should lilac 'Miss Kim' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lilac 'Miss Kim' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is lilac 'Miss Kim' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like lilac 'Miss Kim'?
Lilac 'Miss Kim' comes from Northeast China / Manchuria to Korea. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 12 in narrower, white, not lavender.
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not lavender.
- Siberian dogwood: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not lavender, wants moist soil.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat lilac 'Miss Kim'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after lilac 'Miss Kim'?
Lilac 'Miss Kim' is over by mid June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall.
- Russian sage: from mid July to mid September, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does lilac 'Miss Kim' look like in winter?
Lilac 'Miss Kim' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is lilac 'Miss Kim' good for bees and butterflies?
Lilac 'Miss Kim' is visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
More Syringa
- Common lilac Syringa vulgaris
- Dwarf Korean lilac 'Palibin' Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'
- Lilac 'Beauty of Moscow' Syringa vulgaris 'Krasavitsa Moskvy'
- Lilac 'Sensation' Syringa vulgaris 'Sensation'
- Preston lilac 'Miss Canada' Syringa x prestoniae 'Miss Canada'
- Reblooming lilac 'Bloomerang' Syringa 'Bloomerang'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June; dense clusters; lavender
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; dark green, burgundy
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Comes from
- Northeast China / Manchuria to Korea
- Attracts
- Butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, salt, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.