There are few things that conjure as many memories as the scent of a Lilac. Every Spring, I wait patiently for all my Lilacs to come in to bloom. If we're lucky, the weather will stay a bit cool, and there will be plenty of early rains for optimum growth.
This year was good, but I had little time to make crosses, a few, but not as many as I would like. The air needs to be buoyant and humid for the stigmas to be receptive, and of course the pollen must be fresh and shedding, it drys out quickly...
When they're in bloom, every room has it's vase of Lilacs. I like to group similar colors together, but sometimes a riot of all the different ones can't be beat! The scent fallows me into my dreams and wakes me in the morning for a wonderful three weeks or so. Each variety has it's own unique scent, some very powerful.
At my shop, we use the fragrant blooms in abundance, it's such a special time of year when the season is on. Cutting your Lilacs is essential for good future growth and bloom; the best blooms are on new, year old wood.
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what beautiful pictures - i have never seen a lilac - i hear they just cannot take the heat here in the South. I'm getting where i can't take the heat either. i guess i'll just have to content myself with scentless crepe myrtle trees and my imagination.
ReplyDeleteDavid, you might try finding these heat tolerant Lilacs, "Assissippi" or "California Rose",both have low chill requirements-essential to blooming....Brian
ReplyDeletethanks - i'll look it into those.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in New England, so lilac is one of those very special memorable fragrances. Now if only your page were "scratch and sniff".....
ReplyDeleteTim, even though Syringa vulgaris is a Eastern European species, it seems almost native with New England, so many huge, old specimens in the region-last year someone else suggested the scratch and sniff "ap" lol
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