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Lilacs bring mixed emotions, linked in poetry to love but also death.
Prized by gardeners in many lands, the flowers' beauty and fragrance, aside from promptings of joy or sadness, proclaim Spring has fully arrived. Lilacs come in many varieties, but the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, of Balkan origin, has enjoyed immense popularity since it was introduced into western Europe from Turkey about 1550 and into America by the earliest colonists. By the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson was frequently mentioning lilacs in his garden notes and letters. Also, the leaves mildew easily in shade, but little if any serious harm results. In my own garden, I have long-standing shrubs of blue and white common lilac, but my favorite is a smaller shrub known as Persian lilac.