Lilacs
 

Aside from Roses, there is no flower as beautiful and aromatic as Lilacs.  Of the two, Lilacs have a stronger scent that carries quite a distance.  Unfortunately, Lilacs bloom for only a brief couple of weeks in the spring.  To prolong their presence in your yard, grow a variety of Lilacs, including, early, mid and late varieties.  With variety and luck, you may be able to see Lilacs in bloom in your yard for up to six weeks.  Weather will have a lot to do with how long your blooms last.  Once the buds begin to open, pray for a cool dry spell.  Once the blooms are over, you still have a nice shade bush, but you have to wait for up to fifty more weeks to see them again.

Lilacs in the United States date back to the mid 1750’s.  They were grown in America’s first botanical gardens and were popular in New England.  Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew them in their gardens.  Lilac bushes can live for hundreds of years, so a bush planted at that time may still be around.  Lilacs originated from Europe and Asia, with the majority of natural varieties coming from Asia.  In Europe, lilacs came from the Balkans, France, and Turkey.

Rochester, New York is the Lilac Capital of the World.  Its love for Lilacs dates back to 1892 when Highland Park horticulturalist John Dunbar planted 20 varieties on the sunny southern slopes of the park.  Highland Park in Rochester is the scene of an annual, two week long Lilac Festival, with over a half a million people attending the event each year.  This park has over 500 varieties of lilacs and more than 1200 lilac bushes in the parks’ 155 acres.

On August 18, 2006, New York State Governor George Pataki proclaimed the Lilac as the State Bush.

I love painting flowers and have painted many but there are more for me to paint that I have not considered yet.

Duck Season

I have enjoyed painting ducks, geese, birds as well as domestic animals. 

The ducks in this painting are flying over the pond at autumn time with the log in the water and the bright colored tree on the right side of the canvas.  Hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I enjoyed painting it.

Siamese Cat Kristie

This is a Siamese cat that my daughter owns and she named it Kristie.  The other one that looks like Kristie is Smokey.  I cannot tell them a part but they know.  I only had a good photo of Kristie so that is the one that I painted. I have painted cats, dogs, and old homesteads in the past for clients.

Until next time enjoy my paintings and hope everyone had a nice Valentines Day. I did get some photos of the snow we had on the 11th of February.  The snow was so pretty and hanging on the trees limbs was so beautiful.