Happy Sunday to you all!!
Let’s go down memory lane together for a bit, shall we. It is such a nice day to take a stroll, the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the birds are making a racket.
And it smells lovely too. The lilacs are blooming everywhere and this year there are a mini lilac flowers blooming in my garden too. And that is making me so happy.
I love lilacs, they are the flowers of my youth. We used to have a really big lilac tree in our backyard. It bloomed heavy, luscious and very fragrant. The lilac flowers, as I remember, were dark pink leaning towards purple. It bloomed so heavily that each year my mom would cut off countless heavy bouquets that she placed all around the house. But one house can take only so many fragrant bouquets before it becomes too much. So she would hand me the remaining bunches and send me on my way. And as a small, very blonde flower-girl, I would set off to the neighbors bringing them our flowers.
My father would always joke that that tree was blooming so heavily because he had put in some very special fertilizer. According to him he buried the afterbirths underneath the tree (four of us were born right at home). I have no idea if that was true, probably not, doesn’t sound like him. But as a child that story intrigued me. As if we were all part of that tree in a very small way. And come to think of it, that story is a bit gross too, sorry about that, but I guess as I kid I wasn’t grossed out so easily.
As I was thinking of our lilac tree I had to go hunt and see if I could find any pictures of it blooming in our garden. I only found one with the tree, and I isn’t even blooming, and the picture is black and white, go figure….
This is me reciting some kind of school poem to my father on fathers day underneath the lilac tree. I have no idea why my father is wearing that silly hat, it probably was mandatory because of the poem and he was a good sport. Wow, talk about memories coming back ……
As I was about 11 years old, our garden got a major overhaul, and in the new design there was no place anymore for our lilac tree. I missed that tree.
I vowed to have my own lilac tree one day. So far that hadn’t happened yet. First it is kind of mandatory that you have a garden to plant a lilac tree. Second when one has a garden, that garden needs to be big enough to have room for a tree. And thirdly in that garden one needs to have a good spot where the lilac tree will feel at home and bloom like crazy.
I haven’t had a garden that met those conditions yet. Until now. But as much as I love a blooming lilac tree, I have to be honest, it isn’t much of a tree the rest of the year. The leaves are rather boring and there are no Fall colors to speak off, and yet a lilac tree takes up a lot of space. So it isn’t a very good choice for the fairly small city garden we have now.
Until this year, when I stumbled unto a mini lilac bush. It won’t grow up to tree dimensions, it blooms with beautiful, very fragrant mini flowers and it can be easily pruned back to stay in dimensions proper for our garden. I was all over it, and I am now the proud owner of a lilac bush. It has yet to find its final spot. As of now it is still blooming on the terrace.
And when I walked by it this morning the scent wafted up, and brought me back to my childhood. I could not not cut of some stems and put them inside. Too many good memories attached.
What scents bring back childhood memories for you?
Marianne Songbird is the founder of Songbird, where she hopes to inspire everyone to create a home they love, one DIY project at a time. She shares anything from craft ideas to home decor inspiration and from DIY projects to decorating hacks. Originally from the Netherlands Marianne and her husband Lex are currently renovating a 250-year-old farmhouse in Germany.
Susan says
Great post Marianne. To this day I can not smell a gardenia without thinking of my grandmother… smell is a powerful memory trigger!
Susan
Marianne@Songbird says
Yes, I think smell is THE most powerful trigger of memories. I don’t even know how gardenia’s smell. Must fix that!
Goedele - Old Red Barn says
Burying the placenta under a tree is a ritual in many cultures, as a symbol of life. Your father gave the placenta back to nourish the earth and roots of the tree. As the baby grew so did the tree. And this was obiously the case with this lilac tree 🙂
Marianne@Songbird says
Hmm misschien heb je wel gelijk. Op de een of andere manier klinkt het niet als mijn vader, toch was hij er best stellig over. Zal wel waar zijn dus. De seringen groeiden er in ieder geval goed op 😉
kirby carespodi says
I love lilacs! We had several at my home as a child, but we can’t grow them here in the clay. I love the way certain smells or sounds or tastes take me back to a different time or place. I feel like Proust.
Marianne@Songbird says
Hmm, we have clay soil here too, and the lilacs seem to love it. Maybe it is a variety thing. And it is never a bad day when you feel like Proust 🙂
Marie - InteriorFrugalista says
Lilacs bring me right back to my grandmother who had several lilac trees lining the side of her yard. Up until two years ago when I discovered their home (which my grandfather built) had been bulldozed to make room for a new condo development, I would drive by their house every Spring just to look at and smell those lilacs and go back down memory lane. Love your post today and thanks for also taking me down memory lane!
Marianne@Songbird says
Sorry to hear about your grandparents house and their lilacs. But you will always have the memories, they live in your heart. So glad you went along on my stroll down memory lane with me.
Marilyn says
Lilacs always make me think of my mom. She grew up with them and loved them, but they wouldn’t grow at the house where I grew up. When I moved up into the mountains, I learned of her love for lilacs, and would bring them to her every spring. By the way, where I live, our lilacs usually bloom in April. When my husband got to attend a conference in New Hampshire one year in May, I went with him. We were treated to “another spring,” as that was when their lilacs (like yours) were blooming. Wonderful!
Marianne@Songbird says
Spring twice a year. Now I’d sign up for that! And with blooming lilacs to boot. ♥ Marianne
Gwen says
I love your lilac story!! I lived on a farm as a small kid and two giant lilacs graced the front walkway. They were over a hundred years old and left in bush form. One had a secret passage to its center. The cousins came, we’d play hide and go seek and there I’d hide in the middle of the south lilac bush! Never found. Always safe! Lilacs became my favorite! I have one now and get a few blooms if we have a few freezes. I too found the Korean lilac. I’ve had it for about five years now. It’s still about 18″ tall and maybe two feet wide. So it does not need big pruning! I giggle at your long branches as I pick teeny little posies and in a two inch vase. Even that my family will say Wow!! They smell so good! So very slow growing. So very strong scented its like a huge bouquet with just a little sprig. I bought mine in honor of a friend. I’m glad I did. I’m glad you found one too! You’ll love it! And yes, lilacs are one of the most common favorite scents of all flowers! It’s a bit like Christmas? Their season is short but we look forward to it with great anticipation!!
Marianne@Songbird says
Secret passages now that sounds intriguing. And you think my lilac is a Korean one? Could be. I am never too afraid to cut from my bushes. I enjoy the blooms so much inside and most plants do very well when you prune them, stimulates them to grow.
Enjoy your lilac too!
Pat says
Oh what a wonderful story!
Very interesting about the folk lore of the tree and what is buried underneath! I would be interesting as an adult to know if it is truth or legend, that your father told you.
I’m so happy for you that you were able to acquire a lilac bush for your terrace!
I hope you enjoy it as it sounds very much like you do.
Pat
Marianne@Songbird says
Maybe my sisters will know the story too, about my father burrying things underneath the tree. I don’t know. Apparently it is a custom in some places in the world. It just might be true.
And yes I am very happy with my lilac bush and I have found just the right spot for it. When she is done blooming I’ll move her over.
Emilou says
Hi Marianne,
Lilacs, yes, what wonderful memories they bring to mind. I too had lilac ‘bushes’ that I played among with my family and friends. They made great forts, castles, paths and more. They sheltered us all with their beautiful fragrances. I have three colors here, white, lavender and a dark purple, which have already bloomed. And, if you look closely the leaf is heart shaped. Thanks for sharing. Blessings and smiles, Emilou 🙂
Marianne@Songbird says
Wow, so many people have childhood memories that involve lilac trees and bushes. Isn’t it amazing that one flower can mean so much to so many people all over the world. The lilacs are blooming late here, due to our long winter and cold Spring. But they bloom….
Lorrie says
Fascinating story, Marianne. I love the scent of lilacs. We have a small tree in our yard that we moved early this spring and so it gave just one small branch of blossom. But there’s a lilac tree along a path we walk, a tree no one owns or cares for, and I clip blossoms to bring home to fill the house with fragrance.