On some days it can be quite difficult to bring joy to a work office. I do my best with colorful outfits and floral coats, but that only goes so far. My Tom Ford cologne only carries a certain distance as well (and only garners a select group of fans). But when the lilacs are in bloom, and the office needs a Ford-free lift, I’ll bring in a stem or two of the sweet flowers and it instantly makes the day happier.
Their perfume is so potent that it only takes a small branch of blooms to fill the surrounding desk space with a signifying scent that reminds me of childhood and spring and hope. I remember picking them surreptitiously at night to surprise my Mom for Mother’s Day, the evening dew and leftover rain spilling onto me as I wrestled with the large stand of them at the top of our street.
I remember spying another group of them over the neighbor’s fence – they had white and dark purple varieties that seemed so exotic, so accustomed was I to the standard lilac shade that is ubiquitous in the Northeast. We had our only ancient trees, whose trunks had twisted and contorted over the years, but that still produced flowers on those branches that found enough sun.
The variety you see here is a double version, a gift from Andy’s Mom delivered posthumously by his Dad and sister, adding to their sentimental value. I didn’t think it was possible to improve on the original standard, but this hybrid packs a punch not only in beauty, but in fragrance as well. (Often, the price of better blooms is a lack of perfume; this is a worthy exception.)
Since the addition of that single small starter, we have seen the gradual expansion of our lilac patch. I’ve managed to transplant sections to two areas of our side yard which started blooming last year, and recently added a small line in the neglected property behind our surrounding fence. I’ve found that the flowering varies from year to year – sometimes there are lots and sometimes it’s a little more lean. This is an in-between year.
Luckily, you don’t need a lot to leave a big impression. There’s something valuable to be gleaned from that.
