Lilac of the week

Posted April 23, 2023 7:00 am

This week's feature, Charles Joly lilac (Syringa vulgaris), is one of the earliest French hybrids and the finest of the double dark red lilacs. Its small purple buds turn to magenta during midseason. It is intensely fragrant.

Charles Joly reaches a height of 10 to 12 feet and a width of 8 to 10 feet. Cultivated in 1896 by the Lemoine Nursery, it was named for Victor Charles Joly, a French physician and writer on horticultural subjects.

During a visit to France in 1911, Col. William Plum and his wife discovered lilacs at the Lemoine Nursery. They returned home to Lombard with their purchase of two lilacs and began what eventually became Lilacia Park.

Charles Joly is one of the 19 lilac cultivars for sale at the Lombard Garden Club Lilac Sale May 11-13 at Lombard's historic Lilacia Park in downtown Lombard. Proceeds support the Lombard Garden Club's scholarship program, community beautification projects and educational outreach about the environment and gardening in our region.

You may view photos of the lilacs at www.lombardgardenclub.org.

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