L is for Lilac

Lilacs – spring in sight and smell.

Back to the old farmhouse my parents bought in the mid-1960’s. The yard behind the house was divided into two sections by some of the most magnificent lilacs I’ve ever seen. They were easily fifteen to twenty feet tall. They were primarily purple, but there was one white shrub in there. Between that far back yard and the space behind the ‘old’ garage was another row of them and next to the ‘old’ garage by the driveway side was a paler purple that was double flowered. It was attacked by some kind of scale insect and was never very healthy. On the east side of the house were more lilacs and right between the back porch and the covered steps to the basement was one more huge purple bush.

With an abundance of lilacs there was no problem cutting them and bringing them in. And we did. To make them last a little longer we would cut the stem again under water and ‘hammer’ the end to fray and expose more of the inner core. Even so the lilacs would not last very long, but going out to get more wasn’t a problem.

The scent was wonderful. Perfumes do not do it justice and perhaps the only real way to enjoy it is to have the real thing.

When I was thinking about plants I wanted around our house, keep in mind there were several nice things already, lilac was one I was hoping I could grow in Tulsa. I found a very nice dark purple and that is what I have. I previously mentioned (March 19th) what I did to my mother’s lilac on Walnut Drive, and I am constantly reminded of that each spring as this lilac prepares to flower. The picture with Apache is from last spring. Right now the buds are still tightly packed, but with rain and sunshine it won’t be long before I can open a living room window and enjoy that wonderful scent.

And lovely looking dog.