Lilacs in bloom.

At this New Hampshire farm, the state flower & bird can be found on the grounds, fragrant licacs & beautiful purple finches. The scent of the lilacs permeates the air, gently reminding you that summer is fast approaching. Breezes carry that fragrance even to a notable distance, providing a pleasant surprise as one walks the farm’s paths.

Purple lilacs, which range in hue.

For me, lilacs remind me of childhood. We had numerous lilac bushes at our family home, where I grew up, & I remember picking blooms to bring to my mother. She’d place them in vases, & their sweet aroma would drift through our old New Englander farmhouse.

More purple lilacs.

White lilacs, which are very high up, almost a full tree.

Lilacs can come in a range of colors, light purple, dark purple, to even white. Most of those growing on the farm have the panicle shape, as you’d find on groomed hydrangea trees. The blossoms cluster on a compound spike, creating the recognizable upside-down cone shape.

An example of darker purple blooms at the farm.

Two years ago, my best friend Heather gave me a fancy lilac specimen, the lacecap lilac tree. Actually, she gifted me two. They are still quite young saplings, but they have the potential for adding quite a grand effect to the grounds when full-grown.

Close-up of an ivory silk lilac panicle.

A mature ivory silk lilac tree, of Japanese origin.

Lilacs continue to remind me of those happy thoughts from my childhood, as I’d ramble about our yard, picking those flowers to bring in for my mother. I’m now looking forward to this new type of lilac specimen, along with the more traditional, at the farm, so that my son can create similar memories.

As Henry James wrote, “Summer afternoon––summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” And I don’t think I could agree more. Yet, lilacs give that precursor to summer with both their delightful scent & their lovely colors.

From this week’s showy blooms.