Syringa vulgaris Katherine Havemeyer is an accepted common lilac cultivar introduced by Emile Lemoine in 1922. The upright deciduous shrub spreads with age, carrying opposite heart-shaped green leaves and compact panicles of fragrant double lavender-purple flowers that fade to lilac-pink in May and June.
Grow it in full sun in fertile, humus-rich, alkaline to neutral soil that is moist but well drained. Space plants about 300 centimeters apart, mulch annually, and prune immediately after flowering. Species-level evidence generally considers common lilac non-toxic to people and horses, while exact dog and cat safety remains unresolved.
