Lilac Companion Plants: 13 Plants to Grow With Lilacs

After a long, gray winter in colder parts of the world, a fully blooming lilac is considered the true harbinger of spring. Sure, the forsythia and magnolia have offered some early joy through the kitchen window, and maybe the fruit trees are starting to show off up and down the block, but the weather has been fickle and nippy. And you’re ready to get outside.

When the lilacs take the stage, with their floppy, oversized blooms and unforgettable fragrance, you know it’s officially gardening season. The bees are buzzing, the perennials are waking up, and the sun is finally shining with a bit more intensity.

But after two or three weeks, once the lilac show is over, most will shed their purple-pink blossoms and fade quietly into the background, leaving behind a sturdy but fairly plain green shrub for the rest of the season. To soften the inevitable let-down, it helps to complement, overlap, and extend the beauty lilacs bring each year. That is where companion plants come in.

So, where do you start? This guide breaks down some of our favorite lilac companion plants, with names and pictures of each.

Clematis

	botanical name Clematis spp.
	plant type Perennial, climbing
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-30′ spread
	hardiness zones 3-9

An old English gardening trick for keeping lilacs relevant after their blooms fade is to plant a clematis near the base of the shrub. Clematis won’t harm the lilac’s stems or branches. Instead, it gently rambles up the trunk and sprawls outward toward the sun.

From a distance, it can even look as though the lilac is flowering again, but it’s the clematis stepping into the spotlight. It’s a charming effect. And if letting it climb your lilac feels a bit unusual, planting a clematis nearby is just as lovely.

Both plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, and both appreciate cool roots. Clematis comes in many flower forms and colors, making it easy to find one that complements your lilac. At the end of the season, cut clematis back to about twelve inches in height to encourage strong growth and blooms the following year.

Always choose clematis varieties suited to your region for lilac companion plants, and avoid planting species known to invade natural landscapes.

Creeping Phlox

	botanical name Phlox stolonifera
	plant type Perennial, ground cover
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-8″ tall, 1-2′ spread
	hardiness zones 3-9

If you’re looking for something soft and bright to carpet the ground beneath your lilac, consider planting creeping phlox. Blooming from mid to late spring at roughly the same time as most lilac varieties, this plant brings a similar cottage-style charm.

Dainty, pastel-hued flower clusters spread generously in well-drained soil, creating a colorful mat. Phlox will also tolerate a bit of shade if they’re growing in the shadows of large lilac specimens.

Cut these lilac companion plants back after flowering to encourage a denser, mat-forming habit. Leave it untouched if you prefer a looser, more natural look. Creeping phlox also works beautifully as a border perennial, especially if your lilac shrubs are planted near a garden edge.

Daylily

	botanical name Hemerocallis spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8″-5′ tall, 2-4′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-10

With strappy, grass-like foliage and spikes of cheerful flowers that rise from spring into late summer, daylilies make a natural companion for lilac plants. Their blooms come in shades of yellow, pink, and red, which pair beautifully with lilac’s pink, purple, and white panicles.

Each flower only lasts for twenty-four to thirty-six hours (hence the name daylily), but with regular deadheading, they bloom prolifically. These perennials spread by forming clumps and need to be divided every few years, so plant them only if you’re able to give them a little attention now and then.

Choose daylily species suited to your region, and be sure to avoid varieties that are considered invasive in natural landscapes.

Lady’s Mantle

	botanical name Alchemilla mollis
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-24″ tall and wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

With its classic cottage-garden look and sunny personality, lady’s mantle makes a lovely footbed for most lilac species. Its mounded habit and chartreuse, scalloped leaves create a soft foundation for sprays of delicate yellow flowers that appear from mid-summer to early fall.

Known to spread quickly, lady’s mantle can take over an area and will happily smother weeds and grass, which often compete with lilac roots. Its bright foliage also contrasts beautifully with the darker leaves of many lilac varieties. These lilac companion plants are best for gardeners who are willing to divide them every few years and keep up with seasonal maintenance.

Peonies

	botanical name Paeonia officinalis
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-4′ tall and wide
	hardiness zones 4-10

Like lilacs, peonies are a perennial garden classic and a cold-climate favorite. They are hardy to -50°F (-46°C) and require winter temperatures below 40°F (4°C) for proper dormancy. Shrub-like in form but technically herbaceous perennials, peonies include more than forty-eight species and thousands of cultivars.

With oversized double blooms in shades of pink, red, and white, peonies make a beautiful counterpoint to lilac florets. They reach full bloom just after lilacs finish flowering, which creates perfect seasonal overlap. They can be heavy, though, and often need staking. If that feels like too much work, you may want to pass, but you will be missing an incredible show.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

	botanical name Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 24″ tall, 18″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-10

Drought-tolerant and extremely sturdy, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ has the same well-drained soil needs as lilacs and grows well in their vicinity.

Easily recognized by its fleshy, succulent-like foliage and dusty rose-colored flower heads, Autumn Joy is a great choice for brightening up the area around lilacs from mid-summer to late fall. Resistant to disease and insects, these lilac companion plants are about as low-maintenance as a perennial can be.

It does not need deadheading, and the faded blooms hold up well through winter, providing food for birds and other foragers. Cut last year’s flower stems down to the ground in spring when new growth begins to emerge from the base of your sedum.

Spirea

	botanical name Spirea spp.
	plant type Perennial shrub
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-8′ tall and wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

Easy to grow and a very long bloomer, spirea varieties make a nice neighbor for most lilac shrubs. Available in sizes ranging from dwarf to standard, spirea start blooming when lilacs are finished and often repeat later in the season. Flowering is abundant, with clusters of pink, white, purple, and red blooms covering most exterior branches.

Their small leaf size and dense branch structure create a rounded shape that works well in groups or rows. Shear them back after flowering to encourage another bloom, and prune annually to thin out the inner structure. With this simple care, spirea will perform beautifully year after year.

Astilbe

	botanical name Astilbe spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 6″-3′ tall, 3-6′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

Astilbe’s fern-like foliage sets the stage for upright, feathery blooms in shades of pink, red, purple, and white. This perennial thrives in the shade, and when planted beneath a lilac tree, the dappled sunshine is just right. Astilbe will grow and spread vigorously, creating a lovely textural contrast with the lilac’s smooth, dark green leaves.

Astilbe prefers moist soil and may need a bit more water than your lilac, so be sure to keep them irrigated without oversaturating the lilac’s roots.

Columbine

	botanical name Aquilegia spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3′ tall, 1-2′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-8

Also known as a woodland plant that thrives in filtered light, columbine can handle a bit more sun in cooler climates. When planted near the drip line of your lilac’s canopy, it produces a soft display of bell-shaped flowers from mid-spring to early summer.

Available in shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and white, columbine has a delicate presence in the garden that contrasts nicely with the lilac’s larger, sturdier form. Its foliage does turn yellow and begin to fade earlier than many other perennials, so keep that in mind when deciding whether these are the right lilac companion plants for you.

Daffodils

	botanical name Narcissus spp.
	plant type Perennial, bulb
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6-30″ tall and wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

Extremely cheerful and easy to grow, daffodils are traditionally yellow but also come in white, orange, red, and pink. Their grass-like foliage is among the first pops of green you will see in the spring garden, and they look very natural beneath a lilac canopy that is just about to burst.

Daffodils usher in lilac season with classic style and spread by clumps. They should be divided and replanted every few years to keep the blooms bright and plentiful.

Grape Hyacinth

	botanical name Muscari armeniacum
	plant type Perennial, bulb
	sun requirements Full to partial shade
	height 4-8″ tall, 4″ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

A fast-spreading filler plant, grape hyacinths emerge with thin, grass-like foliage in mid-spring. Their dainty, grape-like blooms are subtle and strongly scented, offering a little preview of what’s to come when your lilacs open in the following weeks.

Grape hyacinths often bloom again later in summer, after your lilac has finished its show, and they grow well in both sun and shade. This makes them perfectly suited to the shifting light beneath a lilac canopy.

They will naturalize by forming colonies that spread in all directions, so only plant them if that is the effect you want. Grape hyacinths are an excellent choice for a more informal lilac pairing.

Hosta

	botanical name Hosta spp.
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full to partial shade
	height 6-48″ tall, 1-6′ wide
	hardiness zones 3-9

A shade garden classic for good reason, hosta grows beautifully beneath the wide canopies of many lilac trees. When planted under Japanese, Chinese, or Korean lilacs, hostas receive the dappled sunlight they prefer and add a strong visual punch.

Known more for their bold, diverse foliage than their tall flower stalks with dainty purple to white blooms, these lilac companion plants come in more than 2500 named varieties. They spread by clumping and fill in nicely around lilac trunks. Variegated varieties are especially effective, creating the illusion of light in your lilac’s understory all season long.

Divide hostas every few years and spread them around. They will help keep weeds down and your lilac’s roots cool.

Tulips

	botanical name Tulipa spp.
	plant type Perennial, bulb
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6-24″
	hardiness zones 3-8