Lilac Garden

Go down to Kew in lilac-time, in lilac time, in lilac-time;
Go down to Kew in lilac-time (it isn't far from London!)
And you shall wander hand in hand with love in summer's wonderland;
Go down to Kew in lilac-time (it isn't far from London!)

"The Barrel-Organ" by Alfred Noyes

Lilacs are among the most popular of all ornamental shrubs, being the most elegant and colourful of all early summer flowering shrubs. They have beautiful long flower spikes in a complex variety of hues, often with a beautiful fragrance.

Although historical literature and poetry indicated that Kew had lilac gardens in the past, this is a newly-developed garden. It was completely renovated in 1993, though it still contains many of the original hybrids created at Kew in the1900s. The new garden has 105 specimens of hardy lilacs ranging from the oldest species to modern cultivars and hybrids. The garden is laid out over 10 separate beds according to their cultivation and breeding history.

Most lilacs in cultivation are based on Syringa vulgaris from the mountains of eastern Europe, although the natural geographical range of lilacs is from south-eastern Europe, Asia and the western Himalayas through to the mountains of China, where there is the greatest diversity of species.

In the wild lilacs prefer well-drained soils on hills at the edges of woodlands or in open forests, although some species are equally at home in mountain gorges .However, many grow well in fertile, humus rich, well-drained soil in full sun.

The lilac garden includes many Syringa species as well as examples of:

"Chinese" lilacs: based on the hybrid S. x chinensis developed in the French city of Rouen; they form rounded shrubs to 5m in height, usually with paired flower spikes.

"Hyacinthiflora" hybrids: based on a cross between S. vulgaris and the Chinese species S. oblata. They flower early (around two weeks before S. vulgaris) and have bronze young leaves and good autumn colour.

Series Villosae: this group of later-flowering cultivars are largely based on crosses raised in Canada by the breeder Isabella Preston between 1913 and the 1930s. They include the S. x prestoniae and S. x josiflexa hybrids.

Series Pubescente: these cultivars, all with more or less hairy leaves, include some of the smallest lilacs such as S. meyeri "Palibin" which grows to only 1.5m in height.

The Lilac Garden is number 23 on the Visitor Map.