About Lilacs



    Lilacs are beautiful flowers and in my opinion represent the fragrance of spring.When lilacs begin to bloom, springtime is coming. Lilacs and spring are thus undoubtedly interconnected. Both of them can be considered as bearers of joy, happinessand the perspective of a brighter future. The scent of lilacs delights and charms our senses, filling our soul with positive thoughts.
    Humans prefer lilacs, and these flowers are present in almost every garden. In what follows I would like to present some ideas about the history of lilacs, their cultivation andsome other interesting aspects related to this flower. Lilacs were first introduced to Europe. They originate from Asia and Turkey. After their introduction to the USA, lilacs became fairly popular. Lilac bushes can live for hundreds of years, and this fact greatly contributed to their popularity.     
    In order to cultivate lilacs, you should plant them in full sun and well-drained soil.It is important to note that it may take from two to three years for lilacs to establish themselves; but once established lilacs can live for centuries.   
    In order to have abundant flowering cut off spent blossoms and prune the flowering stem.A renewal prunning is sometimes also required. In this case one shoud remove one-third of the oldest stems at ground level each year during 3 years. By the end of the three years the plant will be fully rejuvenated with its blossoms. Early spring, after flowering, lilacs should be fertilized.  http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/plants/lilac_care.html
   
    Lilacs are very versatile. Over 1,000 varieties are known. Their color range from pink, purple, red, white. They also very in size. Lilacs can grow from 4 feet up to 30 feet.   
    The best example to denote human�s love for lilacs, is represented by the International Lilac Resurces a website �Dedicated to endorse and inspire the interest in Lilacs�. On this website one can look through everything related to lilacs. One of the most interesting items is the time table presenting lilac species. These are ranked in alphabetical order; furthermore the specie, discoverer, year, origin are also enlisted.
    Furthermore an annual Lilac Festival is held at Highland Park in Rochester, N.Y. This festival lasts for 2 weeks, and over half million people visit it each year. In 1892 John Dunbar, a horticulturalist planted 20 varieties on the sunny slopes of the park. The park currently has over 500 varieties of lilacs and more than 1200 lilac bushes.Thus Rochester, N.Y. can be considered the �Lilac Capital� of the world. A Canadian rival of Rochester can be considered Cornwall, Ontario. Cornwall can be seen as a rival regarding the size of their collection. Furthermore this city is considered the �City of Lilacs� http://www.gardenersnet.com/lilac.htm   

    Lilacs are very popular in Romania as well, cultivated in every part of the country. There are whole neighbourhoods, where every house has lilac bushes. Thus when walking around those streets, one can get almost �intoxicated� with their fragrance.
    Thus it can be asserted that lilacs conquered the whole world. Humans prefer lilacs to other flowers. Lilacs appealed to writers, poets and painters as well. The famous American poet, Walt Whitman mentioned lilacs in his most well-known poem Leaves of Grass. Kate Chopin, one of the earliest American woman writers, wrote a short story entitled Lilacs. Vincent Van Gogh http://www.vangoghgallery.com was also inspired by lilacs. His painting Lilacs captures the beauty of these flowers.   
    One does not necessarily need to be an artist to see the beauty of these flowers; These works of art simply underline, emphasize the beauty of lilacs. These works of art open our eyes to the unseen, unrevealed beauty.

    Reading or admiring these works we can discover the deepest beauty of these flowers.