A time forLilacs

OLD-FASHIONED and romantic, lilac blossom has inspired its fair share of poetry and song. From The Barrel Organ, written by Alfred Noyes in 1913, ‘Go down to Kew in lilac time,’ has become a familiar phrase and the gardens do look lovely in May.

I remember when our family gatherings always included a sing-song round the piano, and Ivor Novello’s nostalgic We’ll Gather Lilacs In The Spring was a great favourite. My mother could play it with her eyes closed. Lilacs reached a peak of popularity a century ago and many older gardens boast a few well-established, tree-like specimens that were often planted to make an informal boundary hedge.