We have a very large bush on the corner of our house and it appears to be quite old. Perhaps not as old as the house (built in 1862) but pretty old.
We also have a smaller bush near the vegetable garden that's a different variety and blooms a bit later in June. And there's another small one in front on the opposite corner of the house. I bought this one at the Philadelphia flower show six years ago. I went with my friend Jenny who lives in Philly and she'll remember that I bought a baby lilac bush at the show. The label showed a gorgeous burgundy colored flower and I fell in love. But, we'd taken the train and had to schlep back to her apartment the same way so I couldn't carry a larger plant.
Anyway, I've been nursing it along for the past six years, pruning it to a nice shape, and relocating it to the perfect spot. I was happy to see flower buds this spring for the first time and was so excited to see the unusual colored flowers. But, guess what? The flowers are exactly the same as the lilac bush in my yard! I'm so disappointed. And had to wait six years to find out!
Oh well. It's still pretty. We're planning to line the end of our property (alongside the road that leads up to our neighbors house) with lilacs instead of the extremely ugly pine trees that are there now, so, I'll get my chance for a red variety. At least I hope so :)
6 comments:
I adore lilacs! I wish I had better luck with them when cutting them for a vase. I can never get them to last long.
I also have a very old lilac. It is a medium size tree that I can actually climb up in and the center is starting to rot out like some old fruit trees do.
Sadly it doesn't bloom much anymore and is in desperate need of heavy pruning (but it's too tall!). I hope to be able to get someone to revitalize it for me and give it many more healthy years!
Six years... Oh that's bit long.
As are you planning, we did outline our property with lilacs, they were gorgeous & gave us beauty to enjoy.
Love your posts. TTFN ~ Marydon
Lilacs have always been one of my very favorite flowers but I hate that they only bloom once in the spring for a very short time, and then that's it! I did see in BH&G an ad for a new variety that blooms all through the summer--sounds too good to be true! I'd like to rip out the ugly bushes in front of my house and replace them all with gorgeous-smelling lilacs! (but I hope they don't take 6 years to bloom!!)
I love lilacs, too. The color isn't as important to me as the fragrance.
I understand some varieties are more fragrant than others. Do you know if that is so? Thank you!
I LOVE lilacs (I've always pronounced them lie-locks for some reason while everyone else says lie-lacks). I grew up in the Midwest and we had a row of them separating the neighbor's yard. The smell in Springtime was glorious! I miss them terribly, along with pink crabapple trees, and other things that don't grow in the desert land I live in now. :(
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