Lilacs: Yesterday & Today
By Barbara Berst Adams
When I was five years old, I knew a secret about lilacs no one else knew. Wherever the lilac bushes were in bloom, fairies held their weddings. Until I was told there are no fairies, I attended their weddings each May at the lilac bush in my childhood front yard. The merriment was plentiful. Looking closely at a lilac in bloom, one can see that each flowering spray is made up of miniature flower bouquets for the brides and perfect boutonnières for the grooms. The scent was heavenly, from another more beautiful world, just as I was sure fairyland, and the ultimate marriage, should be.
On a more scientific and historical note, lilacs are members of the Syringa genus and the Oleaceae family. Collections across the globe boast hundreds, and sometimes more than a thousand lilac varieties, including heirlooms. They are considered some of the hardiest of woody ornamental shrubs and small trees. The word Syringa is said to come from the Greek word, “syrinx,” (the same place from which “syringe” came) meaning hollow pipe or tube. Legend says that Pan pursued the nymph Syrinx and turned her into a reed to make his first flute.
The word "lilac" is said to have come into the English language from France in the early 1600s, with the word traced back further to Persia’s nilak and nil meaning 'blue, indigo.’
Various experts place lilacs’ origins in Asia, North Africa, southeast Europe and the Himalayas. Frank Moro, co-owner with his wife, Sara, of Select Plus Lilac Nursery, states that Lilacs originate in Asia. He said that different species come from different areas, but cultivars (or varieties) have been bred in North America.
One of the first Common lilacs, Syringa vulgaris, is believed to have been discovered by a plant researcher in Banat, Romania, where they were growing in the mountains on natural limestone. It’s thought that possibly centuries before, peasants and herdsman had transplanted them to various locations, until they were discovered and brought to Istanbul to grow in garden courts. From such peasant beginnings, the Common lilac eventually found its way from Istanbul into the hands of travelers who brought them back to Vienna, where they were taken to France and gained huge popularity in Paris. There are now many French lilacs growing around the world, as they continued to spread from France. They have also spread from Asia, which now produces many other wonderful lilacs discovered by explorers and missionaries traveling through Afghanistan, China, Tibet and Japan. Syringa reticulata v. amurensis, for example, is a tree lilac widely grown in China. Lilacs showed up in North America most likely via early settlers, and found their way across North America by being planted along the routes of the Westward-bound Europeans.
The Common Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) make up the largest group of French Lilacs. Other lilac categories include Preston and Josiflexa Lilacs, which were developed by Isabella Preston in Ottawa, Ontario; Early Flowering Lilacs developed by Dr. Frank Skinner of Dropmore, Manitoba; and Species Lilacs, which include the species and some non-specific hybrid lilacs from Europe and Asia.
Lilacs are also categorized by color: White, violet, blue, lavender, pink, magenta and purple.
A plant called Blueblossom (Ceanothus thrysiflorus) is said to be a North American native evergreen lilac growing wild from California to Oregon, and is sold through Pacific Northwest native plant nurseries. However, although apparently a lovely plant, Ruth Wendt, assistant to the executive board of the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, said, “Ceanothus isn't really related to the lilac at all.”
As far as the most fragrant lilac, Ruth said, "Fragrance, like beauty, is largely in the nose of the sniffer. General consensus around here is that Glory, Frank Klager, Pink Elizabeth, Krasavitsa Moskvy, Mme. Lemoine, Maiden's Blush and My Favorite are very fragrant."
If you have room for more than one lilac and want to extend the blooming season, plant a variety of extra early through extra late bloomers. “Our earliest blooming lilac is always the R. & B. Mills, named after Hulda's grandsons,” Ruth said. The Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens where these are demonstrated are located in southwest Washington State (see more below). “But generally,” Ruth continued, “the Hyacinthflora type of lilac is known to bloom first, then the Vulgaris type, and the late bloomers are the Prestonias, developed in Canada to bloom after their long winters.” Some early blooming varieties bloom well in the warmer zones (lilacs, in general, need winter chill). And though lilacs generally grow from 10 to 15 feet tall, dwarf varieties have been known to rebloom in midsummer. Further, the Select Plus International Lilac Nursery states on their website: “Over the last five years, a very unique lilac that existed since 1974 came to my attention. It is Syringa x Josée. A single pink, it has the capacity to rebloom three to four times per year in good warm sunny summers. I have seen it flower until the end of October. There is a little extra work to be done on it, [such] as removing all faded flowers as soon as they dry up. It tends to seed very heavily thus it gets lazy. Also it must be sheared round to even out the plant and stimulate new growth. This will allow the bloom cycle to repeat itself in about 6-8 weeks.”
Frank Moro suggested those of us in North America plant lilacs as legacies, as they do with olive trees in Greece. According to Frank, olive trees in Greece take about 7 to 30 years to begin to produce fruit, and from 35-150 years are in peak production of olives, so it’s a long-lived tree that is planted with future generations in mind. Lilacs also take a few years to mature and do well in bloom, but they can live up to 350 years old. So they are a legacy that can be planted in the present for the future. “Not many landscape plants can bring so much joy of fond memories of our youth,” Frank said. He also said that lilacs are distantly related to olives, being a different genus but in the same family.
Lilacs have a history of filling May Day baskets, reminding us of Mother’s Day, and gracing the Celtic tradition of Beltane. The lilac flower’s historical meanings include "earliest love" and "youthful innocence."
But back to that magical lilac fragrance. It turns out I wasn’t the only one who felt the lilac fragrance was from another more beautiful realm. Edgar Cayce, the man famous for natural remedies, once said the fragrance of lilac was very healing, and likely straight from Heaven. Oddly, lilac fragrance is fleeting when it comes to human attempts to capture the real thing in floral water, perfume or essential oil. Some say that the fragrance is too elusive for any true essential oil to be derived from real lilac flowers. When I researched this, interviewing a number of companies claiming to offer actual lilac flower water or lilac fragrance, it turns out that while their other floral waters and essential oils come directly from the flower in which the scent is named after, the scent of lilac is a mixture of other plant and animal (musk) essences. However, one group of followers of the Edgar Cayce tradition believe that there is, or was, a way to produce lilac essential oil from the actual flower itself. They said they’d been told that as far back as the early 1900s, essential compounds from the lilac were able to be brought forth directly from the plants. But, perhaps like the rose, it takes immense amounts of the flowers to be produced. It is estimated that to distill true essential oil from the rose, it takes ten thousand pounds of blossoms for one pound of oil. While some have mimicked the lilac scent quite well, some other companies that offer essential oil of other flowering plants simply state, “Sorry, no essential oil from lilacs is available.” Ruth further explained, “We have a person who has worked on this (creating lilac scent), in the hope that we might offer lotions and soaps made from our own lilacs. She says that the petals are too fragile. They turn brown when they wilt and the scent turns sour. The lilac does not hold up to the essential oil process. So we have to get our scents from an essential oil wholesaler. They do a much better job of simulating the scent than they used to, though, and many of our lotion customers rave about the scent.”
So, lilac scent can be imitated, but the authentic lilac scent so far in the 21st century, it appears, needs to be enjoyed while they’re in bloom. We can certainly enjoy their live scent indoors, though. Lilacs make wonderful cut flowers. See also Jim Long’s sidebar for enjoying the taste and aroma of lilacs in sorbet.
Since lilacs were discovered growing in natural limestone, it makes sense that they prefer alkaline soils. Most, except the dwarfs of course, grow rapidly to 10 -- 15 feet, and are hardy to below 0 degrees F. Most varieties need winter chill, with some being a little more tolerant to warmer climates. In the case of warmer climates, lilacs can sometimes be induced into dormancy by withholding water (see websites below for more exact directions and which varieties for which this will work). They do best in full sun with good air circulation, which can help with powdery mildew that sometimes troubles them. They should be watered moderately during bloom and can benefit from a good, balanced natural fertilizer after bloom. The spring 2006 issue of Heirloom Gardener offered an excellent, thorough article on lilac pruning.
A Favorite Historical American Lilac Farm
There are a number of outstanding public lilac gardens and collections in the world, and the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens is one of my favorites in America with its great history. In 1865, Hulda Klager was two years old when her family came to America from Germany, finally settling in Woodland, Washington State in 1877 when she was 13. She married Frank Klager and while busy with marriage, home and children, she still managed to nurture her interest in flowers and plants. In 1905 she started working with lilacs, and over the next five years created 14 new varieties. Hulda became known as “The Lilac Lady” after creating even more varieties and holding open houses for enthusiasts to see her new lilacs. She was eventually honored by numerous organizations for her work, including the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University.
In 1948, a flood wiped out every lilac on her property. Yet at age 83, she began rebuilding. People who had purchased her lilacs in the past gave her starts so she could re-establish them. In two years, she began her open houses again, which went on until she died in 1960 at the age of 96.
Her home and grounds were sold and almost bulldozed for an industrial project, but local members of garden clubs and other enthusiasts found a way to save the property and restore it. They formed the non-profit Hulda Klager Lilac Society. The restored home is now a museum with some of her original furniture, the carriage house is a gift shop for local artists, and the annual Lilac Week has been revived, allowing visitors from around the world to purchase incredible lilac plants. If it turned out fairies did have their weddings during lilac bloom, imagine the grand celebrations at the historical home of Hulda Klager.
Barbara Berst Adams is the author of Micro Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage in Partnership with the Earth (New World Publishing). Available from The Heirloom Gardener Magazine. www.MicroEcoFarming.com
RESOURCES: The lilac farms below carry collections of rare and heirloom lilacs of all colors and blooming times, with further information on care for individual types of lilacs in different climates. The Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens 115 South Pekin Road, PO Box 828 Woodland, Washington 98674 www.LilacGardens.com