The Japanese lilac tree Syringa Reticulata (Courtesy of the Arnold Arboretum)
How wonderful of Mother Nature to profuse Boston’s fresh spring air with the intoxicating, unmistakable fragrance of lilacs as Mother’s Day nears. So special is the ephemeral flower it’s the only one the Arnold Arboretum singles out each year for a day-long celebration.
On May 8 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., a crown-worthy collection of 370 internationally diverse, heaven-scented harbingers of spring will be feted by the Arboretum, which first opened to the public in 1872. On this one special day, picnicking on the lawn will be encouraged. Those who may want to forgo bringing a basket of goodies may opt instead to explore mobile cuisines offered by food truck vendors who will be set up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Considered by its curatorial staff of Harvard University to be one of North America’s leading centers of bio-diversity, the Arboretum will be offering 45-minute tours of its lilac (Syringa) specimens as well as the Leventritt Shrub and Vine Gardens on Sunday. For a less structured tour of Boston’s treasured landscape, access the Arnold Arboretum Explorer interactive map here.
Scattered about the Hunnewell lawn on this special day, family activities will include origami, memory card games, temporary tattoos, fragrance tests and Mother’s Day card-making stations. At the Centre Street Gate, arborists will be stationed aboard their trucks to explain how the plants are cared for and to answer questions about the 167 different varieties of multi-colored lilac lovelies in their care.
Of particular interest to visitors of this annual event may be Syringa x Chinensis, commonly referred to as”Lilac Sunday.” Jack Alexander, the Arnold Arboretum’s plant propagator, cultivated this new specimen grown from seed supplied by the Beijing Botanical Garden. Small fragrant flowers on the plant with a graceful arching habit are produced in panicles or multi-branch clusters, rather than branch-tips, making the Syringa x Chinensis a unique specimen to see and inhale on Lilac Sunday.
Another plant that highlights the tour is the Arboretum’s oldest specimen. Collected in 1876 by William S. Clark, Syringa Reticulata is a Japanese lilac tree. Clark, a professor of chemistry, botany, and zoology had been the President of the Massachusetts Agricultural College from 1867-1879 as well as the President of the Sapporo Agricultural College (now known as the University of Hokkaido) from 1876- 1877.
According to the Arnold Arboretum, some of the plants in their celebrated collection nod in homage to history, such as the Syringa Vulgaris specimens named in honor of “President Lincoln,” Landscaper “Fredrick Law Olmsted,” and “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” orator “Patrick Henry.” Others hum a horticultural tribute to Jimi Hendrix with “Foxey Lady” and “Purple Haze.”
Home gardeners who love the many shades of the season may extend the care of their favorite lilac with tips from the Arboretum’s experts who mulch their collection regularly with material that breaks down into organic matter. The plants are fertilized with high nitrogen liquid injected into the root area every three years. Rejuvenating pruning also takes place on a three-year cycle to prevent the plants from becoming leggy or overly large. Deadwood is removed regularly. (A resource the arboretum suggests home gardeners use: soiltest.umass.edu/fact-sheets/step-step-fertilizer-guide-home-grounds-and-gardening)
For those unable to attend Lilac Sunday’s festivities, the collection that varies in hues of blues, purples, magenta, white and an extraordinary creamy yellow will be in various stages of their bloom cycle over the next six weeks. The first broad-leaf blossom Syringa Oblata, and its hybrids of Chinese origin are close to peak now. The last lilacs to blossom, Syringa Pekinensis, also from China and the Syringa Reticulatas of Japan known as the Villosae Group bloom best at mid-June.
The Arnold Arboretum considers this rain or shine event one for all ages to enjoy, and suggests even with an umbrella Lilac Sunday will be a wonderfully memorable way to celebrate Mother’s Day.
