The lilac, like many other shrubs, can be propagated by layering. This is a good method for the home gardener but too slow and cumbersome for mass production. Branches are brought down to the ground in spring and covered with soil, leaving only the tips above ground. Well-rooted plants may be obtained by this means in two seasons. They are then cut and grown in the garden for two or three years to develop into sturdy, blooming-size shrubs.
Some varieties produce suckers freely after they are established on their own roots.
These root-sprouts may be dug up in fall and transferred to the garden or nursery where they will make satisfactory plants in a few years. This is the usual way of propagating the common line. They bloom a week or two earlier than most lilacs. Most of the well-known varieties are derived from the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris , which has been a favorite for centuries in Europe and America. It is still worthy of a place in the garden, even with the best of its progeny.