Is there a more wonderful smell than a lilac?
Some plants achieve legendary status, and Madame Lemoine has earned hers many times over. Introduced in 1890 by the great French horticulturist Victor Lemoine and named in honor of his wife and horticultural partner, this iconic double white lilac remains one of the most beloved and widely grown lilac varieties in the world — more than 130 years after its introduction. That kind of enduring popularity speaks for itself.
The blooms are simply magnificent. Enormous, densely packed panicles of pure white, fully double florets open from creamy yellow buds in mid-spring, creating a display of clean, luminous elegance that pairs beautifully with virtually every other color in the garden. The fragrance is exceptional — rich, sweet, and deeply classic — drifting through the garden on warm spring afternoons in the way that only a great French lilac can. Madame Lemoine is the benchmark against which all white lilacs are measured, and to this day, few come close.
Highlights:
- Iconic pure white double blooms — the gold standard of white lilacs
- Creamy yellow buds add warm contrast before flowers fully open
- Enormous, densely packed flower panicles with exceptional presence
- Rich, deeply sweet classic lilac fragrance
- A proven garden heirloom with over 130 years of celebrated performance
- Blooms mid-spring (May)
- Attracts butterflies, bees, and pollinators
- Deer resistant
- Unsurpassed as a cut flower — breathtaking in arrangements