For the love of lilacs....

I love lilacs.  The beautiful colors, all those fabulous bouquets and most of all, the scent.  Nothing can compare to the scent of lilacs.  When we moved to Red Gate Farm in 2004 it was December.  The first spring was such a wonderful time of surprises.  So many of the old bushes and plants, well, we were unsure what they were.  I was thrilled to find out that one bush was a lilac.  That first spring in 2005 the blooms were a little sparse.  I don't think this beauty had received much attention for a time.

When my son was purchasing HIS first house last December, we (and by that I really mean I) were thrilled to find out that his tiny little back yard was lined with lilacs... and per the homeowner's granddaughter they were all in different colors.  So last week my son texted me to say that the lilacs were in bloom... I knew the call was coming since my own was getting close.  On Friday night we stopped by on the way home from dinner. I snapped a few shots while the "men" were discussing what to do with a dead tree...

And the scent!  The whole back yard smelled like lilacs... lilacs in white...

A beautiful lavender...

And a deep dark purple.  While I was taking pictures I was also formulating a little plan to head back over the following day while my son was at work.  Armed with my garden shears I was going to cut myself a bunch.

And I did!  My bouquet filled up the cup holder in my car... and of course by the time I got home my car smelled divine!  Nothing like a little natural air freshener.

I pulled out a couple of milk glass vases (of course) and filled them up with my ill gotten gains....

And for days, every time I came inside the house I could smell that wonderful fragrance...

And my own bush?  Well we're just a few miles away from my son's place but our temps are just slightly lower and my lilac bush is just getting into full swing now too.  It's a pink-y-er color.

I plan to cut a few flowers to bring inside since this year is a good bloom year...

And I couldn't resist a few more pictures in the evening light tonight.

The colors change up quite a bit in golden glow of sunset.

Ahhh... can't you just smell it now?

It's going to be a FABULOUS weekend here in the Pacific Northwest... the kind that keeps us living here through the grey months of winter... and the kind that will bring on the peonies!

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Deborah jean's Dandelion House