Another rite of Spring ... Lilacs!
My Lilac bush didn't take this delayed Spring to seriously and has been working behind the scenes. I went to check on it today and to my surprise a few of the buds have opened up! Lilacs are another one of my favorite flowers because they announce the arrival of warmer weather.
My lilac bush happen to be of a lavender colour and each year the bush has more and more flowers. I keep it well trimmed and always make sure to cut off the dead flowers. This apparently helps the bush produce more flowers. I love their smell, try to be reasonable, and only cut off a few. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to drive by a road where they have purple lilacs and, always prepared with bags and a pair of scisors in the car, I park as close as I can and grab a few.
Somehow the purple ones remind me of candy - crunchy candy. But of course they would! I remember my mother buying these tins of small candies that had a flowery aroma to them. The tin was oval shaped, lavender colour, and had tiny lavender coloured flowers on it. Perhaps they were lavender flavoured but somehow Lilac is stuck in my mind.
What I didn't know is there are about twenty to twenty five varieties of this wooden plant that is from the olive family. Does that mean one could have lilac oil? Alas ... not. However, tea can be made from the leaves, flowers, and thin branches. They say that white lilacs are more flavourful and less leaves and branches should be used. Some claim tha thte tea, when drunk in large quantities, can be eupphoric. I think I'll pass on trying the tea - I'd hate to experience an unexpected side effect!
I'll be patient and watch them over the next seven to ten days and hopefully catch them at their prime. I look forward to having a few on my kithchen counter where I can smell them everytime I walk by.
My lilac bush happen to be of a lavender colour and each year the bush has more and more flowers. I keep it well trimmed and always make sure to cut off the dead flowers. This apparently helps the bush produce more flowers. I love their smell, try to be reasonable, and only cut off a few. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to drive by a road where they have purple lilacs and, always prepared with bags and a pair of scisors in the car, I park as close as I can and grab a few.
Somehow the purple ones remind me of candy - crunchy candy. But of course they would! I remember my mother buying these tins of small candies that had a flowery aroma to them. The tin was oval shaped, lavender colour, and had tiny lavender coloured flowers on it. Perhaps they were lavender flavoured but somehow Lilac is stuck in my mind.
What I didn't know is there are about twenty to twenty five varieties of this wooden plant that is from the olive family. Does that mean one could have lilac oil? Alas ... not. However, tea can be made from the leaves, flowers, and thin branches. They say that white lilacs are more flavourful and less leaves and branches should be used. Some claim tha thte tea, when drunk in large quantities, can be eupphoric. I think I'll pass on trying the tea - I'd hate to experience an unexpected side effect!
I'll be patient and watch them over the next seven to ten days and hopefully catch them at their prime. I look forward to having a few on my kithchen counter where I can smell them everytime I walk by.
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