I’m the first to admit to being a delicate fucking flower, and dainty as shit to boot, which is why the Korean lilac is one of my favorite shrubs. It’s in full bloom in the garden right now, and I’ve established three decent-sized specimens, scattered strategically to offer three separate sections a delicious pool of perfume. The blooms, despite all the macro-work here, are tinier and daintier than the native American lilac, and arrive after that better-known shrub finishes its bloom. The effect is a more summer-like plant, that will also throw out the occasional re-bloom if you’re lucky. The leaves are also of smaller stature than the common American counterpart, lending the whole plant a more delicate and elegant visage.
There is a little more red in the bloom color, lending it more a pink shade than true lilac, another way it separates itself from the more bombastic flower which most of us recall from childhood memories. I like the way it extends the lilac season, and the way it stays on the summer side of spring, nudging the season into the sunnier path of heat and warmth.
