Spring Things - Lilacs and Roses

Today would have been my mother's birthday.  She passed when I was 12, back in the mid 1960's.

One thing I associate with her is the memory of the scent of the talcum powder she used - something called Lilacs and Roses.

Here in upstate New York, our lilac season is ending (the three varieties at my house are long gone) and the rose season is barely beginning.  In fact, I haven't seen any roses blooming here yet, but I did find some, this past Saturday, an hour from here on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York.

In honor of my mother's birthday, I'd like to share with you, some pictures of - what else - lilacs and roses.

This was the only lilac on my property when we purchased it over 25 years ago.  We share a hedge with a next door neighbor who, sadly, has dementia.  When he was himself, he used to let us pick lilacs from "his side" and I appreciated that so much.

This year, for some reason, it barely bloomed.

We planted this lilac some three or four years ago. It's doing well.  The only problem is, it was supposed to be yellow. It's a pale lavender but we really don't mind.  The name of the variety is lost to my memory.

We share this white lilac with our other neighbor.

Not my lilac - but I loved the color.

The scent of all these lilacs reminds me of my mother and her beloved talcum powder. But, strangely, as much as I love lilacs (and my spouse also), our son can't stand their fragrance.  To him, lilacs smell like garbage - literally.  There are some others who have the same issue.

As for roses - so many modern varieties have little or no scent.  But, at Cornell University, we found this rugosa rose just opening up - and it already had such a magical fragrance.

Scents can bring back such wonderful memories, can't they?

Happy birthday, Mom - wherever your spirit is.  I inherited my green thumb from you although there is a story behind that.  (Anyone want to read about it?)

What kind of memories does a particular scent bring back for you?