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!


linking up to





Cottage Garden Party


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Comments

  1. Lovely Lilac posting... I CAN smell them from here! Thank you for sharing these beautiful blooms!!!

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  2. We have so much in common! We moved into our 100 year old farmhouse in January and when spring came I watched in awe as flowers bloomed on all kinds of bushes.. rhodies, azaleas, spirea, and a huge lilac bush. It was lavender colored, the classic one, and I've since planted the dark purple and a white. Tomorrow they will be in their prime and I will be cutting a big multicolored bouquet. I just looooOOOOOoooove them! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  3. Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers! They are what I had wanted at my wedding, but I was married in the wrong month ~ July! :~{
    You should get some starts from your son's plants and have your own lilac hedge!
    I think the white ones have a lot of fragrance and the deep purple ones are my absolute favorites! Enjoy your boquet!
    Blessings!

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  4. What a wonderful idea. The milkglass is a great choice for vase. I have only one maturing lilac and I love it so much I've used the outgrowth to transplant into other places around the yard so I'll have even more in the years to come. I wish it lasted longer! I'm a new follower and I enjoy your blog.
    Debbie

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  5. Oh I can smell them, so intoxicating! - When we bought the 'City House' one of the first things I planted was a lilac. Sadly it seems I am never there when they come full on,...Someday.

    Have a very Happy Mother's Day!

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  6. Lilacs make me miss my mother...she always smelled like them!

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  7. Gorgeous . . . fragrance is reaching inside my Michiganhome . . .

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  8. Yes, I can! I love lilacs. Our own little tree only has three blooms this year so I left them there.

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  9. I love the fragrance too...lilacs are tied with hyacinths for my favorite scent! Our crazy hot & freezing weather the last few weeks seems to have done it's best to prevent our lilac from blooming. I don't see a single blossom...if you were closer, I'd swing by and just enjoy the heavenly scent!

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  10. Oh, yes I can smell them!! So gorgeous!! Happy Mother's Day!! xo Heather

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  11. Oh how I love the smell of lilacs, but unfortunately my sinuses don't. So I sneak a whiff every now and then when I'm outside gardening. It's almost painful not to be able to cut a big bouquet!

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  12. I love liliacs too... I love to bring them in for a vase but the fragrance 'grows' indoors and I end up putting them outside (asthma)...

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  13. Oh Chris - love love love lilacs...brought some into my home from the gardens this past week and love the charm they bring inside! Thanks for sharing over here at Fishtail Cottage's garden party! Hope you are having a fantastic Mothers Day! hugs to you - tracie

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  14. I love lilacs. I have three different types. I look forward to May so I can bring them indoors to smell. I wish they bloomed all season long...

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  15. Your photos are just amazing! I am so in love with them!

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