Thursday, June 4, 2020

Lilacs and Geraniums

When the lilacs bloom, I think of my mother, who passed away in 1965.  We did not have any lilacs in our yard.  In fact, we did not have a yard.  I grew up in a small apartment in a New York City housing project.

She loved a talcum powder called Lilacs and Roses.
I was fortunate to buy a house that had one lilac bush on one of my property borders.
Eventually, the white lilac of my other neighbor grew big enough that part of it hung over my property.
Several years ago, we planted a third lilac.  This was supposed to be yellow lilac - as you can see, it is not yellow, but no matter.  We love it, anyway.

Our house also came with a climbing rose that our one neighbor told us was possibly 50 years old, but it is now in rose heaven.  But we still have the lilac.

So, last week, I took some of these lilacs and did a little experiment in using kitty litter to dry lilacs so I can use them later in potpourri.  I also am drying some lilies of the valley which will be ready (if it works) later this week.

Once more, I let the scent of lilacs, bring me back, bring me back to the 1960's....

I escaped, and gradually made my way to a little house in an upstate New York village, free to pursue my life and my lilacs. 
Today would have been my mother's birthday.  She couldn't have lilacs but she grew beautiful geraniums.  Now, I grow geraniums in my garden, too.

I've been staring at the screen, wondering how to end this post.  Maybe I'll just end it here, and say, happy birthday in Heaven, Mom.

12 comments:

  1. Hi Alana - love the lilacs ... it's interesting isn't it - it was one of the flowers my mother did not like - but she was a brilliant gardener. I hope the drying out works for you ... take care and stay safe - Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have a white lilac right outside my bedroom window. One of the first signs of spring. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful flowers! Love how our dear ones live on in such simple memories :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. We had a large lilac in our yard when I was growing up. When it was in bloom, the scent was heavenly. I can't grow lilacs here - too hot and humid - but I've found substitutes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lilacs are my favourites! This is the first house we've lived in that will allow me to explore that passion. Thus I have my first, ever, lilac hedge!
    Gladiolas are what bring my mom back to me. Isn't it wonderful to associate flowers with our mamas?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I too have one lilac that came with the house. It's dying though, eaten from the inside out by shelf fungus. I'm told it's just part of nature decomposing it. Every spring I think will be its last. There is a rose too, an old lilac one. It's hanging in. Sometimes I want them both to be done, so I can plant something new!
    My mother had a rose garden. My father was the gardener, but she tended her roses in the area called the "Sun Trap." She'd lay on her lounge every afternoon, before the days when we stayed out of the sun! She had the old ones, Tropicana, World's Fair Salute, Picture. I liked Picture best. (You know how hard it is to find a PICTURE of a rose named PICTURE? All I get are PICTURES of roses!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. We never had lilac growing up. My mother was horribly alergic to them and she would get nose bleeds from them

    ReplyDelete
  8. I grew up in an old farm house (100+yrs) with a monster lilac bush beneath my upstairs window. I could almost reach out and pick one.

    Love your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I grew up with lilac trees lining our driveway. Purple, pink and white ones. They were usually in full bloom on my birthday so they remain my favorite flower. My mom loved hydrangeas and added them to our garden in every color. She recently passed away and yesterday was her birthday. This is is so timley because I vowed to add them to my property too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had no idea there were yellow lilacs. What a nice way to remember your mother.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So pretty! I'll bet they smell heavenly.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Your comments mean a lot to me, and I appreciate your comment and your visit. These comments are moderated, so they may not post for several hours. If you are spam, you will find your comments in my compost heap. I do not respond to comments similar to "nice blog! Please visit my blog" generally ignore these.