Lilac is a beautiful shrub that is loved throughout the world for its fragrant flowers. The common lilac from southeastern Europe grows to a height of 20 feet (6 meters) and has wide, spreading branches thick with flowers. Its green leaves are about 5 inches (13 centimeters) long. The white or purple flowers grow in clusters that may be 10 inches (25 centimeters) long. Lilac bushes can be grown in almost any garden, and the plant needs little attention. Lilacs may be grown by cuttings from green lilac wood, ripe wood, or roots. Some kinds of lilacs are grown by grafting or budding. Lilacs grow best in northern climates. In the northern states, most lilacs bloom in May. Nurseries have developed many different kinds which have larger and more colorful blossoms than the common lilac. Their colors vary from white to dark purple and deep red.
Lilacs can be made to bloom in the winter by keeping them under glass. The plants are put in pots in the spring and taken outdoors later in the summer. The plants bloom in three to five weeks if they are kept in a temperature from 60 °F to 80 °F (16 °C to 27 °C).
A light purple color is called “lilac” after the lovely light purple flowers of some lilacs. Many poets have written about the beauty of lilacs. Perhaps the most beautiful of such poems is the ode Walt Whitman wrote on Lincoln’s death, called “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.”
