Friday, 12 April
Today I discovered a truly marvellous surprise in the front garden. There is a very large, very old Syringa vulgaris which I have named “The Empress”. I do not know the cultivar; it is a very old bush, and when I first came to The Cottage ten years ago, it towered over my head and hovered over the drive, brushing the sides of my motorcar each time I came along.
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Two years ago, I finally took up the courage to cut it back and give it a good, heavy pruning. It was much badly needed: it had stopped blooming long before, and finally, it had become my own and so I attended to it.
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Last summer, it presented the most beautiful dark green leaves, each of them enormously large, almost the size of my head. The local extension office suggested this particular specimen was quite old, most likely older than myself, and that it was incredibly sturdy and tough.
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Lilacs, despite their delicate, fragile appearance and ethereal scent, are an incredibly hardy plant. They need a good shock of cold weather to get their blooms in place, and to fortify themselves for their gorgeous spring displays. They are truly a magnificent flower, and I have always enjoyed them.
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I have nicknamed this particular plant “The Empress”; not not only for its regal shape and magnificent presence in my garden, but in a sentimental fashion perhaps a nod to one of my favorite books: Anton Myrer’s “The Last Convertible”.
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Now, it has begun to bud, and the colour of the tiny, minuscule flowers is an exciting, deep purple, almost an aubergine. How truly splendid to see this wondrous flower returning to life!
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Sanjay R Singhal, RA 