I became aware of the newly blooming lilacs by smell before I'd quite noticed the flowers; when I was outside late last week, their characteristic sweet scent floated in the air, making it delightful to simply breathe. The perfume wafted into my bedroom from the blooms right outside my second floor window, where I took the photograph above.
This is the lilac alongside my house, with a view of the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the distance. It is a huge shrub, and has been getting bigger and bigger over the years. Along with a few flowers, the lilac is the only growing thing that was bequeathed to me by the previous owners of my house, Vermonters mistrustful of trees near structures. Every once in a while, looking at the empty interior of the lilac, I am tempted to have it severely cut back and let it renew itself; I can see from stumps at its center that this was done before. But then I don't know if I could live without this plant during the years it will take for it to grow back.
During lilac season, I love having large vases full of lilacs in the house. Each time I walk through the door, I can smell their perfume. There is a small bunch of flowers on my desk, making my work at the computer light and sweet.
It's a wrench, cutting the lilacs down so they can come back. We waited till we couldn't stand it anymore. (And couldn't reach the flowering branches anymore.) Two years later, the sprouts are blooming, but it'll be a while before they're big and full. And yours are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen such a big one Altoon. It's wonderful, and I can see why you don't want to trim it. The lovely fragrance and flowers must be such a joy.
ReplyDeleteoh, Susan, I can't reach the flowering branches now! I used my 7 foot long pole pruner to get some high up flowers, which bloomed first. I did cut some branches back myself a couple of years ago, using my wonderful pruning saw, so that I put wood preservative on the house; now the downstairs bedroom has a view, which had disappeared. To do the whole shrub would take a chain saw and a stronger person than I.
ReplyDeleteMona, it is a joy I look forward to each year. Unfortunately we're having a heat wave right now, which will severely shorten the bloom season. There are lots of very large lilacs dotted about up here, usually near an old homestead.
Thanks for sending us this! I'm crazy about lilac (grew up in a gardenfull in England) and wish it grew successfully in Los Angeles - it does in the mountains near the Poppy Preserve and luckily about the same time of year, making the pilgrimage there doubly worth while.
ReplyDeleteLinda, though lilacs don't grow in LA, I can't have a lemon tree in my backyard in Vermont. Each climate has its particular pleasures.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful time of year...lilac time ...isn't there a song about that?
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