Lombard’s lilacs join early blooming plants

Lilacs are the star of Lombard during May, but this year they’re coming out early.

Some of Lilacia Park’s lilacs are blossoming so far ahead of schedule that Lombard Park District horticulturist Jerry Budd said “earliest-blooming lilacs” should be added to the list of weather-related records the Chicago area has experienced this month.

“This is by far the earliest I’ve ever seen lilacs in bloom,” Budd said. “I’ve never seen lilacs in bloom in March before.”

When spring temperatures truly turn mild is the main contributing factor to when lilacs begin to bloom. Some varieties, called cultivars, require warmer weather or more sunlight to begin blooming than others, Budd said.

“There’s nothing in full bloom yet,” he said. “But the early flowering cultivars are starting to flower.”

Some blooms have been on display about a week, so even though Lilacia Park isn’t completely bursting with purples and magentas just yet, there is a fragrance in the air.

“You can actually smell some of the lilac scent,” Budd said.

Lilac Time in Lombard is scheduled to begin May 5 and run until May 20. So the early blooming of some bushes is causing a new worry for Lombard Park District, which organizes the collection of spring festivals centered around Lilacia Park: what if all the blooms are gone by May 5?

It’s exactly the opposite of last year’s situation, when cool temperatures kept lilacs blooming on the late side and didn’t give visitors in town for the International Lilac Society convention in late April much to see.

“At that time, there was nothing in bloom,” Budd said.

He said it’s “bizarre” that a cool year can be followed by such an unprecedented warm one. And with weather quirks all too common, he said it’s impossible to predict how many blossoming bushes visitors will see at Lilacia Park come May.

“It will depend on the weather between now and then,” Budd said. “Who knows what the weather will do between now and early May?”