{"product_id":"lilac-congo-syringa-vulgaris","title":"Congo Lilac - Syringa vulgaris ‘Congo’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCongo Lilac - Syringa vulgaris ‘Congo’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere the double lilacs give you mass, ‘Congo’ gives you clarity. Its florets are single, so the individual four petalled stars are visible within the panicle, and they open a deep reddish purple that softens to lilac as the head matures. Grown well in a cool climate, this \u003cem\u003eSyringa vulgaris\u003c\/em\u003e cultivar makes a broad upright bush that carries an unusually heavy crop of flower heads for its size, and the scent is the classic strong lilac perfume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy ‘Congo’\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSingle florets\u003c\/strong\u003e: The open star shaped flowers show the true colour better than layered double forms and are more accessible to bees.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColour shift\u003c\/strong\u003e: Buds open dark reddish purple and pale as they age, so a panicle carries a gradient rather than a flat tone.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFree flowering\u003c\/strong\u003e: It sets a generous number of panicles across the bush, giving a solid rather than scattered display.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCompact frame\u003c\/strong\u003e: It tends to a slightly broader, denser habit than some of the taller vulgaris cultivars.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWinter chill\u003c\/strong\u003e: Like all common lilacs it needs a genuinely cold winter, so plant it in the tablelands, the highlands, Tasmania or the hills districts.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpring feature shrub\u003c\/strong\u003e: A single specimen in a lawn or gravel courtyard, where its shape can be seen all round.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePollinator planting\u003c\/strong\u003e: The single florets are more useful to bees than heavily doubled cultivars.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMixed shrub border\u003c\/strong\u003e: Sits between viburnums, philadelphus and old roses in a cool climate border.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDriveway planting\u003c\/strong\u003e: Repeated along an entry drive it gives a scented deciduous rhythm in spring.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 to 2.5m apart\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 4m apart\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Winter while dormant\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Free draining, neutral to slightly alkaline soil, with lime beneficial on acidic sites\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water deeply once weekly across the first two summers, then only in extended dry spells, since established lilacs are quite drought tolerant. Deadhead spent panicles promptly and prune only in the weeks immediately after flowering, because buds for next spring form on the growth made during the coming summer.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 4m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.5 to 3m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deciduous\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Balkan Peninsula of south eastern Europe (the parent species)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep reddish purple ageing to lilac\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795383419166,"sku":"ND-1084-400MM","price":800.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/RlWug9dm-jClRGMOmvFmK_uH7ok9lH.jpg?v=1787314760","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/lilac-congo-syringa-vulgaris","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}