Syringa emodi 'Variegata'
15th August 2013
The typical form of the Himalayan Lilac is a large shrub from the western Himalaya, a habitat dripping with
the romance of the exotic, all of which seems to have passed it by. Bean notes that the June flowers are
'..not pleasantly scented' and it is not surprising that it is only occasionally planted.
Fortunately there is a variegated form that I got as 'Elegantissima', which Bean calls
'Aureo-variegata' and which the latest 'Hilliers Manual' assures me should be called 'Variegata'
(so I will go with that). Spectacular lime and yellow leaves that look like the flickering of
dancing sunbeams from a distance, regardless of the weather.
10th July 2019
References:
Bean, W. J. 'Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles', 8th edition (revised). John Murray, 1980.
The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs. Royal Horticultural Society, 2014.