Cherry blossoms steal the spotlight, but across northern B.C. lilacs are the real sign of spring

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2023 12:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 20, 2023

When Shannon Waters was moving to Prince George, successful the cardinal Interior portion of bluish British Columbia, flowers were not the archetypal happening connected her mind.

"I thought it was this acold spot dominated by the odor of pulp mills," she said, admitting immoderate trepidation astir coming to the assemblage for a occupation opportunity.

But she soon discovered different odor dominating her downtown neighbourhood: lilacs, increasing connected a hedge astatine the borderline of her yard — on with dozens of different trees and bushes that predominate the city's scenery successful mid-spring.

"Just waking up to the odor of lilacs connected a cool, but not acold anymore, greeting ... is conscionable a beauteous sensory representation that I inactive have."

Waters is present successful Victoria and has besides lived successful Vancouver, wherever cherry blossoms blooming arsenic aboriginal arsenic March are heralded arsenic the commencement of outpouring and often predominate headlines.

But she argues the accomplishment of lilacs successful colder climates aboriginal successful the twelvemonth deserves conscionable arsenic overmuch attention.

"The lilacs successful Prince George, astatine slightest the scent of them, is overmuch much melodramatic than the cherry blossoms are down south," she said.

"They are specified a fantastic accidental to celebrate: Spring is here. Summer is connected its way."

A hardy perennial

Lilacs are flowering plants that travel successful the signifier of shrubs oregon trees, primitively grown successful the Balkans portion of southeastern Europe arsenic good arsenic parts of Asia.

Over the centuries, they were developed into aggregate strains ranging successful colours from heavy purples to agleam pinks and whites — up to hundreds of antithetic varieties, depending connected however they are classified.

See photos of lilacs successful bloom crossed Canada:

About 3 twelve versions are disposable on the "Lilac Walk" astatine the David Douglas Botanical Garden successful Prince George, wherever maestro gardener Trine Helsoe explained wherefore the plants are truthful salient successful Canadian communities built successful the early- and mid-20th century.

"Back erstwhile these older neighbourhoods were being built, they had a precise constricted fig of plants that they could grow," she said. "Lilacs would person been 1 of the astir exotic plants available."

They are besides hardy, surviving good successful acold climates and managing to turn connected bare tons oregon successful parks with small maintenance.

The odor of home

In fact, they are truthful ascendant successful immoderate communities that Jae Waller was shocked to observe they aren't a autochthonal taxon successful British Columbia.

Waller is simply a subject fabrication writer based successful Australia but primitively from Prince George who authors a bid of books acceptable successful an alternate mentation of British Columbia wherever England and France ne'er became ascendant assemblage players successful what is present Canada.

In researching her books, Waller tries to region plants, taxon and taste items that were introduced to the portion by European settlers but recovered she had to marque an objection for lilacs, which person go a large crippled constituent successful the series.

"I had specified beardown memories of them that I had to get them into my publication somehow," she said.

"Every clip I odor them, I deliberation of location ... It conscionable seems iconic to the region."

B.C. is not the lone spot wherever lilacs are celebrated. The Royal Botanical Gardens successful Hamilton, Ont., holds a lilac solemnisation each May, arsenic does the Harvard University arboretum successful Boston and the metropolis of Rochester, N.Y. Lombard, Ill., calls itself "The Lilac Village," and Spokane, Wash., lays assertion to being "The Lilac City."

But Waters says portion holding festivals tin beryllium a bully mode to people the modulation to summer, particularly successful places with deep, agelong winters, there's thing to beryllium said for keeping celebrations low-key.

"I'm a large instrumentality of ... walking determination and you announcement a gorgeous lilac bush and enjoying it successful the infinitesimal without having to marque a large accumulation retired of everything."