Love and other Plants: Lilac

 

Lilacs by Amy Lowell.

 

On my way home the other day, I saw lilacs starting to bloom.

 

 

So.. it’s that time of the year again!

The lover of summer has returned in all its purple splendour from winter hibernation. And like last year and the year before that, I call my cousin, asking, “Are the lilacs in full bloom yet?” I hear a “No, not yet”, and these calls go back and forth a couple of times until she says, “Yup, you can come, they're ready!” And so, I take two buckets and head to their garden, collecting sporadically from three different trees, leaving each tree still full.

You see, we don’t have a full lilac tree just yet and unfortunately, lilacs only blossom for around two weeks. So, if I want to make the most of their enchanting qualities, I've only got a short period to gather the flowers.

 

But ohhhh.. the fragrance when I gather these lilac bunches! I bury my face in chandeliers of lilacs several times, taking a deep whiff... ahhh, sigh! If only there were a way to capture this experience. My first attempt was to make hydrosols from these fresh blossoms in 2021, but it didn't work. The molecules responsible for the lilac's fragrance are extremely sensitive to heat. So, I've tried a few other methods. This time, I'm using enfleurage! Let's see how it goes—I'm hoping for the best because I would love to somehow store this fragrance and share it with you.

 

 

Now since it’s the season of lilacs, I thought when best to read about them. So far I’ve really only been reading about their properties towards holistic healing and skin care.

This time, I thought, I’m going to read about lilac and love!

You know, it turns out, Lilacs are a symbol of the first emotions of love. Perhaps because they’re both ephemeral yet ubiquitous.

 

It starts with a story.

Legend intertwines with lilacs through Greek mythology, where Pan, the untamed god of the wilderness, pursued the nymph Syringa. To evade his advances, she transformed herself into a lilac bush, its reed-like branches offering refuge. Enraged, Pan broke off these branches that resembled hollow pipes. Regrettably, he attempted to kiss the broken branches, and his breath over the fractured stems produced enchanting sounds. Thus, lilacs inadvertently became the genesis of the renowned Panpipes. And the botanical name for lilac is Syringa vulgaris.

 

Lilacs are extensively featured in literature and art, often associated with the boundlessness of love.

In his painting, Lovers among Lilacs, Marc Chagall captures a whimsical and romantic embrace between a couple nestled within a bush of lilacs, creating a safe haven for their love. The lilacs envelop the lovers, symbolizing the protective and nurturing nature of love, as well as its delicate and fleeting beauty.

See here: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/494302

I really like Shankar Chaudhuri's take on this painting in “Lilac’s Reach Beyond the Garden”, she says, “composed after the first world war, and shortly before the rise of Nazism, the painting could also be interpreted as a metaphor for nature serving as a perfect refuge and antidote against the human turmoil and tragedy all around.”

 

 

Van Gogh seems to have painted his Lilac Bush during a time when he realised that he could not live alone and so he voluntarily moved to the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Remy in May 1889, where he was allowed brief painting excursions into the countryside with an attendant. During these outings, he produced several works, including many paintings of irises and this exquisite depiction of lilac blossoms.

So many artworks also depict the human relationship with the lilac bush, where shade becomes sanctuary, serenity is embraced by hues of calm, illustrating a tender bond that whispers of solace and love. Two that are truly beautiful are Monet's  Lilacs in the Sun and Lilacs, Grey Weather.