Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers. I love the scent of them, as well as admiring the profusion of little blossoms on the bushes. Since they aren’t something you find in a florist shop, and aren’t at all the same cut and arranged in a vase, I look forward to seeing them each spring. In particular, I enjoy our more northerly latitude here outside Berlin with it’s giant lilac bushes and the way the light glows softly later in the day.
Back in US, we frequently had a trip to Michigan in late spring and sometimes the timing would be just right to see the huge bushes on Mackinac Island, but often it wasn’t. Depending on the weather and how long winter lingered, as late as early June could still be too early to see the lilacs.
So, living here in Potsdam the last couple years I love knowing I’ll get to see the lilacs here. This spring has been a bit patchier, with too little rain and the weather cycling between colder and more mild spells. So the bushes have been blooming bit by bit depending on where they are located. Last Friday was Labour Day (May 1st) in Brandenburg, so my husband and I took advantage of the day off for a leisurely stroll through the Sanssouci Gardens in Potsdam*.
I was happy to see that while some bushes were past their peak, others were still getting started, and a few were just perfect. I left my good camera behind because the walk was mostly for us to enjoy the outdoors, but I couldn’t resist a few shots with my camera phone.
If lilacs aren’t your thing, Sanssouci gardens has lots of other pretty flowers and trees to admire as well, some of which looked really lovely last Friday. We had finally had a few days with rain, and it was a mild sunny afternoon for happy plants to show off spring growth:
I guess lilacs are for me what cherry blossoms are for so many others.
*current Covid-19 restrictions here permit unlimited outdoor exercise with members of your household as long as you maintain distance from others. Some stores are starting to open with mask requirements.