When Anna and I were wandering around Williamsburg two weeks ago, we spotted this fragrant lilac tree near the garden for Barking Lizards, a gallery at Bedford and North 4th. It was a much-needed break from the hipsters and the concrete.
“The city just showed up one day and asked us if we wanted a tree,” explained gallery owner Wanda Drake. “It turned out to be a lilac, and it’s putting on quite a show.”
Drake also is looking forward to the rebirth of the gallery’s rose garden, which was hit hard when the gallery was renovated last year. One hearty survivor was this oak leaf hydrangea, which had been more than eight feet tall.
“We thought we had lost it,” Drake said. “But here it is, making a comeback. I think it’s unbelievable.”
Lilac bushes are one of the few things I miss about the Northeast. I didn't know there were lilac trees but the bushes I had in my yard on Lake Ontario were huge and grew very tall and would bow over the driveway. The fragrance was beyond sublime. Thanks for the good memory.
ReplyDeleteA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith; good read.
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