CHANGING OF THE GUARD: 

SPRING TO SUMMER

One of my favorite things about spring is when the lilac bushes begin to bloom.  Their beautiful blossoms appear in late April or early May, and fill the air with an intoxicating fragrance, that floods my mind with thoughts of years gone by, proving once again that certain smells really do trigger certain memories.

The first lilacs appear around the middle of April each year.

All throughout the city, lilac bushes, large and small, stand guard over homes, gardens, and business, reigning in splendor for a mere three weeks or so, and then dying away until the following spring.  During those few weeks though, their beauty and fragrance fill me with immeasurable joy and delight.

Even the smallest lilac bush stands guard regally.

By Memorial Day bridal wreath blooms have beautifully taken over from lilacs.

As Lilacs blooms begin to die away, leaving their beautiful green bushes behind, they make room for their successor, the lovely bridal wreath blossoms.  These elegant blooms cascade out from the bushes like a bride’s bouquet, and announce the "changing of the guard" into the early weeks of summer.

This bridal wreath hedge is truly lovely.

This transition time, from lilacs to bridal wreath, is one of my favorite times of the year.  As the “guard” changes each year, we are treated to the beautiful blossoms of my two favorite flowering bushes. making spring and early summer a truly wonderful time of year.

***Do you have a favorite flowering bush or shrub?