Deciduous treeHedgeSmall spaceSpecimenDrought tolerantDeer resistantWinter interest

Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac

Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ · a white Japanese tree lilac

A small, narrow tree lilac that bursts into huge, fluffy clusters of creamy-white flowers in early summer, after the shrub lilacs, with handsome reddish bark for winter, a fine lawn specimen or street tree. It resists powdery mildew, scale and borers and copes with city soils. It does best where summers are cool.

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Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac, as VeraScape draws it

Mature size: 23 × 15 ft; 7 × 4.5 m, tall × wide
Hardiness: Zones 3a–7b; USDA
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to moist
Blooms: Jun

Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac at its mature size

A mature Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac grows 20 to 25 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide, taller than most people.

Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.

Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: The Morton Arboretum, The Tree Center.

Through the year

What Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.

Dormant · Dec–Apr

Bare branches with glossy cherry-like bark.

In leaf · May, Jul–Sep

Dense medium green leaves, no flowers.

In flower · Jun

Large creamy white flower plumes all over the crown.

Fall · Oct–Nov

Leaves turned dull yellow.

Growing Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac

Grows well in: The Northeast, the Midwest, the Plains and Mountain West, and the Pacific Northwest.
Growth rate: Medium
Good for: Hedge, small space, specimen, drought tolerant, deer resistant, and winter interest
Leaves: Drops its leaves in winter
Native to: Japan