A to Z Challenge: “L”ilacs
The fragrance and the complex, beautiful color of the flower clusters are two of my favorite things about lilacs (Syringa vulgaris).
We had a lilac bush outside my bedroom window at the house where I grew up, in Denver. Since we didn’t have air conditioning, I’d get a sweet spring breeze when I opened up my windows during the day, to smell the intensely fragrant air. Between the lilacs and the snowball bush, it was heavenly!
At our home in Indiana, we have a resident pink lilac bush that has a very subtle fragrance also near our bedroom window. And, we purchase an old fashioned, deeper purple lilac bush which is doing fine as long as the pine tree next to it doesn’t invade its air space.
It’s amazing to me that the beautiful blooms can get to be quite large but are really made up of tiny little flowers (florets), which may be single (one row of petals) or double.
They are fairly hardy, easy-to-care-for plants which are good for a vase and super attractive to butterflies and bees. Believe it or not, they are not native to North America.
Lilacs can bloom in seven different colors (who knew?): white, violet, blue, lavender, pink, magenta and purple, with varying shades of each. They can range from a 4-foot-tall dwarf bush to a 20-foot-tall lilac to 30-foot trees.
If they need pruning or shaping, it’s best to do it after they’ve bloomed in the spring and before July 4. I have always heard that lilacs bloom on “old wood” which means they bud in summer for blooms the following spring. It’s best to deadhead the bush after the flowers have faded.
Shoots at the base of the plant that are large enough, when dug up with their roots, can be starters for new plants and grown in pots until they are large enough to be replanted in the garden.
Do you enjoy the fragrance and flowers of lilacs? What other flowers do you enjoy?
dmweiden@gmail.com
I'm Diane, a marketing executive in the non-profit sector living in Terre Haute, Indiana. My husband and I moved from Denver, Colorado, 15-plus years ago and this blog highlights our joys and challenges in adjusting to our new home and town. I also share things I love: photography, wildlife and domestic pets, writing, knitting, making jewelry, food, travel, my faith in God and music. I'm also writing a mystery novel so stay tuned!
14 Comments
ElenaSquareEyes
Those are some beautiful photos. I love the smell of Lilacs, and I really like the smell of Lavender and Roses too – though maybe not all together.
Great post and good luck with the rest of the A-Z Challenge!
My theme for the A-Z Challenge is my favourite fictional characters at ElenaSquareEyes.
dmweiden@gmail.com
Thank you for visiting my blog and your comment. I like lavender and roses also! I’ve had trouble keeping lavender alive. Just haven’t found the right soil/area that it prefers.
Jessica
I love lilacs! My parents’ neighbor had a huge bush (10′ maybe?–new owners cut it way, way down) and it was next to the fence between our yards. I loved walking past it and smelling it everyday. The old lady that lived there even let us snip some blooms to put in vases.
dmweiden@gmail.com
Lilacs make great vase flowers. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Joyce
Thanks for visiting my blog. I just told my hubs the other day I want a lilac tree in the new ‘yard’. We don’t plan on a lot of grass : ) We had two in the back garden of our UK house, one white and one lavendar, and the smell was heavenly. I loved to cut them and bring them inside too.
Joyce
Also, forgot to say I added you to my bloglovin’ reading list : )
dmweiden@gmail.com
Thanks. For some reason, my new posts haven’t been transferring to Bloglovin’ since I redesigned my site so I have a ticket in with them. Just know that I have lots more blog entries – they just aren’t showing up right now. Glad you are planning on adding lilacs to your new home/area.
Joyce
It appears in Bloglovin’ but the most recent post showing is from July 2015, so I wondered. I think now though I’m following you on WordPress so no worries.
Marie
Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers for the garden. So beautiful when they are in bloom! I didn’t know they came in different colors…very interesting 🙂
Sandy
I loved our lilac ‘bushes’ on the farm where I grew up. There were two pairs, standing side by side, which were very tall and full. They created a little arbors in between them that was sacred space to me. I used it as pet cemeteries. Can’t imagine what the people who bought the farm from us thought when they plowed them up to make a corn field!
dmweiden@gmail.com
The souls of your pets were very happy! Serves them right for plowing up flowers for a corn field.
Elise Ronan
I love lilacs. I actually love all flowers, so I simply don’t choose. I’ll take them all-especially if they are sent as a present.
dmweiden@gmail.com
Flowers as presents are awesome! Thanks for visiting my blog.
Josie Two Shoes
Lilacs are my very favorite scent… just heavenly! 🙂
Josie
from Josie’s Journal