Lombard Garden Club lilac sale promises colorful varieties

The area’s largest lilac sale will take place May 11-13 at historic Lilacia Park in downtown Lombard, dubbed the Lilac Village.

People may choose from 19 different lilacs of varying sizes, a news release stated. Colors of the blooms range from deep violet, magenta and lilac to pink, blue and white.

Proceeds support the Lombard Garden Club’s scholarship program, community beautification projects and educational outreach about the environment and gardening in the region.

This week’s featured variety is the Charles Joly lilac (Syringa vulgaris), one of the earliest French hybrids and the finest of the double dark red lilacs. It reaches a height of 10-12 feet and a width of 8-10 feet. Its small purple buds turn to magenta during midseason. It is intensely fragrant.

Cultivated in 1896 by the Lemoine Nursery, it was named for Victor Charles Joly, a French physician and writer on horticultural subjects. During a visit to France in 1911, Col. and Mrs. William Plum discovered lilacs at the Lemoine Nursery. They returned home to Lombard with their purchase of two lilacs and began what eventually became Lilacia Park. Charles Joly is one of the 19 lilac cultivars for sale at the Lombard Garden Club sale starting May 11.

To view color photos of the lilacs, go to www.lombardgardenclub.org. All sales are in person at Lilacia Park in downtown Lombard near the Metra Train Station.