One of the neat things about having your own blog is that you get to talk about pretty much whatever you feel like at any given time. I’m not saying that anyone will actually read what you have to say, but you can pretend that they are and that they also of course care deeply about whatever topic is on your mind that day.
A post about why you really love peeling potatoes? Sure, go for it! A blog about how to make fine china out of play dough? Why not?
Today I really feel drawn to talk about why lilacs are one of the very best flowering shrubs you can choose to have around your property. And you can’t stop me. Nor should you, because I speak the truth!
I’ve been waiting to enjoy lilacs from this giant tree for the last 2 years. Last year we had a weird early hot spell and then a late frost and it pretty much killed the season for flowering trees. I was hopeful, but no flowers came all year.
This year more than made up for it though. Being a first-time lilac tree owner, I’ve discovered that I had every right to be excited about this tree and that lilacs are awesome.
Lilacs give so much and ask for so little in return. As long as they get established, they pretty much keep to themselves and don’t really need anything from you.
When lilacs are in bloom, your whole property smells like some remote corner of heaven and you almost have to say “Aaahhhhh!” every time you step out of your car.
It’s nearly impossible to get in a fight with anyone in your family when your house smells like lilacs. It’s just a fact.
Lilacs aren’t fancy or snooty. You don’t need to clean up for them. They’re comfortable in the middle of a formal dining room or just plunked down on your kitchen table with an overflowing laundry basket in the background. Doesn’t matter to them. They’ll give you all the cheeriness they have to give either way.
See? Still cheery!
So, if you haven’t got one already, plant yourself a lilac and enjoy all the free awesomeness for years to come.
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.