May 21, 2010

My lilacs are blooming!

"In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-washed palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle -and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate-coloured blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig with its flower I break."

Walt Whitman was mourning the death of Abraham Lincoln in this poem, and he uses the lilac as a metaphor for his love and respect of Lincoln. I'm so happy I have a blooming lilac bush. It's taken several years to nurture it as it was planted in hard rocky soil by the tool shed. My mother had lilacs by the back door and my grandmother had them in her yard. They were a part of my childhood and their color and fragrance bring back memories of past springs.

Lilacs originated in Asia and came to Europe from Turkey and were brought with settlers to the US around 1750. There are many(about 500) varieties of lilacs and some are hybrids with double flowers. I prefer the old fashioned kind. They are the perfect harbinger of the beginning of spring and a joy to the eye and the nose!

At 2 Purple Lilac Trees 15 to 25 Inches Tall