History of the Lilac Bush

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

Before we moved to our New England farmhouse, which was built around 1800, I had never even considered the history of the lilac bush. Once I discovered the beautiful antique blooms in so many corners of our homestead, I was inquisitive to know if these fragrant trees had possibly been planted here long ago.

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. ♥

---

Signs of spring

A 12-inch yellow ball brings one daughter joy six days out of every week. . .

Bare, muddy feet make another feel elated every afternoon. . .

Delicacies in the mud are a routine breakfast for happy hens. . . .

And clothes once again snap in the breeze and warm in the sun most mornings. . .

Spring has most definitely danced her way into our rural neck of the New England woods. But my lilacs heralded her arrival back in February. With multiple feet of snow still on the ground, the green buds promised warm weather would again return to our homestead. Last week those buds were transformed into deep-purple promises.

And yesterday’s blooms opened and glistened under raindrops.

 

Of course our new bees LOVE lilacs, so it’s only fitting that I love making lilac-infused honey, no? If you’d like to try your hand at making some, trust me it’s oh-so easy! Check it out right here.

Also, be sure to read up on these 4 simple tips every lilac owner needs to know–tips from a professional horticulturalist.

---

---

How to Make Lilac Syrup

While the blooms are wonderful in their own right, they also make sweet, delicious Lilac Syrup.

For directions, click here:

Or, so you’ll have it for later,

PIN the post about DIY Lilac Syrup, and

PIN this post about the history of the lilac bush.

---

---

The history of the lilac

They bathe four different areas of our farm with deeply perfumed color every May (by the front door, the horse stables, the front stone wall, and the back stone wall).

But the ones by the front door are my favorite.

I linger in their shade and wonder who else may have done the same over the past two centuries. Indeed, these lusciously blooming branches may be from the original lilacs planted in that very spot. We learned some fascinating facts about the lilac bush when a daughter and I completed a simple page about lilacs in our Backyard Book. (Our Backyard Book has become a treasured way my children learn about natural science and it’s also become a treasured family heirloom. If you’d like to know more, I wrote all about it in this post.)

You see, when our home was built (circa 1800), it was customary to have lilacs by the front door so one could enjoy their scent when entering.

They were a new, hardy shrub brought over from England at the time. They lost favor as time went on. Many preferred newer varieties of flowering bushes that offered longer bloom time.

When I came across this tidbit of history–that it was popular to plant fragrant lilacs by the front door–I immediately inspected the old photograph we inherited with our home, dated 1900. There is definitely a tall, leggy bush at the front, right corner of the cape, in the same spot where our branches of purple joy stand today.

Scroll down a little more to view a video explaining the history of the lilac on our old homestead and showing off one of our lilacs in bloom (not to mention the crazy adorable barn kitty).

And if you’re in the market for a lilac bush, I can’t recommend Nature Hills enough. I truly think they may have the best lilacs you’ll find anywhere. And they’ll ship them right to your door! Cause they’re the largest online nursery with the best customer service ever.

---

Wanna know the the bitter truths (and joys) of owning an old farmhouse? I wrote about those here.

Wanna know where you can unearth some rustic farmhouse treasures of your own? You will LOVE this site I just discovered–Antique Farmhouse.

---

Being thankful where God has planted me

When I cut a sprig and place it in a carmel-colored antique bottle that I uncovered on our property’s old midden, I wonder about all the hands that may have nurtured my lilacs through the years and the hands that emptied my bottle and tossed it aside.

And I am thankful.

I am thankful that today it is my hands that have the pleasure of working on this homestead, where God himself has planted me.

The story of our old farmhouse & Old English lilacs

We also learned that Lilac Syrup is super easy to make and extra yummy. Read more about Lilac Syrup in this post. And follow over on facebook for fb lives, like this one all about our lilacs:

 

 

---

 

I have planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock.  Jeremiah 2:21

 

Pin this for later!

Just click on the image below to pin this post.

Many readers often ask what camera I use to take the images you find here on SoulyRested. I love my Nikon; you can read more about my camera on my Resources page and even purchase your own here. Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to homeschooling, to chicken care, to nature journaling, to maple syrup making.

I’d love to connect!

To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:

| | | | |

If you already ARE a subscriber, just hop over to the Resource Library here and enter your personal password. (If you don’t remember your password, no fear, we always include a personalized reminder in every Thursday email, “Hard Work, Simple Joys.”)