How long do lilacs live?
(back to top) In the U.S. vulgaris selections growing at the Governor Wentworth estate in Portsmouth, N.H. are reported to be 250 years old. Trunk diameters approaching 600 mm are not unknown. S. pekinensis trees in their natural habitat have been reported to have trunk diameters over 600 mm and standing at 12 m high, which would make them fairly ancient trees.