One of the most charming gifts the garden can bestow is the occasional moment of reblooming. Many plants have one showy season where they bloom their heads off, then promptly settle in for foliage-only for the rest of the season. Once in a while, a spring bloomer will re-bloom later on in the summer. Often this happens when the nights return to cooler form, perhaps promoting the conditions of spring rather than the heat of high summer. Sometimes, they simply get a second wind, as was the case of this Korean lilac, which is putting forth a few stems of new buds right now, when we need it the most.
Its fragrance is one I associate with the freshest and brightest days of spring, when it typically comes into bloom on the heels of the native lilac. I like that it extends the lilac season, and its leaves remain fresh and unmarred by mildew through to the fall. (Our other lilacs and peonies are already graying with the heat and humidity we’ve had of late).
The perfume is the jolt of freshness the gardens needs at this time, casting a reinvigorating spell over those who happen upon its sweetness.
