Here's a site with pictures of a number of deep purple lilac varieties
https://www.lilacgardens.com/purple.html
Here's a site that gives descriptions of different lilac varieties without pictures:
https://www.lilacking.com/lksales.htm
It suggests the Ludwig Spaeth (which is pictured in above website) as a good deep purple and the Congo. When I looked up the Congo, it looked like a pinker shade of purple.
Pocahontas is a great dark purple lilac. Bloomed for me the first spring after planting while still very small. Just gorgeous!
I bought several of my bushes from Select Plus International, a lilac nursery in Canada. They have the best selection I've found and lots of info on the different varieties. Google them for the web address. Great nursery.
Lora
"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." --Aristotle
I am also looking for the deepest purple lilac that is a very, dark grape color - the one I have seen in yards in Seattle, WA. I have a couple of shoots from my neighbor in Seattle, but I am not sure they are going to survive the transplanting. I have also looked at every website to find the name, but none of the pictures look like the ones in Seattle. I am wondering if the pictures of the dark purple ones do not really show the true color. I have been hoping that someone from Seattle will reply to this post with the name.
Any ideas for how to find an old variety from a specific location?