Yesterday, as I walked around Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University with my daughter Mary, drunk on the scent of hundreds of lilac blossoms, I kept wishing smell-o-vision was an actual thing, so I could share that sweetness wafting through the air.
Lilac Sunday, a Boston tradition that began more than a century ago, celebrates the Arboretum’s unique collection of lilacs. Complete with a phalanx of food trucks, shaded picnic spots and guided walking tours, the event has become a popular Mother’s Day destination. According to the Arboretum, their collection of the genus Syringa includes “nearly 375 plants of more than 165 different kinds.”
At Lilac Sunday I was thrilled to meet Jack Alexander, lilac expert and the plant propagator at the Arboretum since 1976. Though he would be the last person to toot his own horn, Jack knows pretty much everything there is to know about lilacs and his passion is contagious. He even introduced two lovely lilac cultivars to the world, Lilac Sunday and Purple Haze (Alexander is a Jimi Hendrix fan).
Jack (above) demonstrated how to prune lilacs, shared tips on lilac care and his extensive horticultural wisdom.
Jack told us not to miss Chris Mcardle’s lilac tour and we are so glad we took his advice. Chris gave her group the inside scoop on her favorite lilac varieties and shared her love of lilacs with us. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tour, full of personal insights and anecdotes, all delivered in her lovely British accent.
I was excited when Chris pointed out the Arboretum’s “President Lincoln” lilac (below), since Caroline Ferriday, one of the main characters in my novel Lilac Girls, included this lovely variety in her own garden.
Chris showed us so many incredible lilac varieties, each lovelier and more fragrant than the next.
She also clued us in to the membership tent’s free lilac plant with membership promotion. So happy to bring home my own “President Lincoln” to plant!
The Arnold Arboretum is a lovely place to visit no matter the season. Find out more about it here: http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/lilac-sunday/
