The BrideThe Bride is one of the Skinner lilacs in my collection. This lilac was purchased at the International Lilac Convention's auction. I hope to add more Skinner lilacs in the future. My favorite Skinner lilac has to be Excel. Pictures of it are posted earlier on this blog. Second choice would have to be Maidens Blush. This lilac never fails to perform here in my garden.

Maiden's Blush

Frank Skinner developed these lilacs in the harsh Canadian climate of Manitoba. They are perfect for my garden in the Canadian Rockies although they do require a site with a bit of protection from the winter winds off the Fraser River.

The Lilac Allee

After finding the Lilac Allee at Mt. Cuba Centre on the web I decided to get into the spirit for the 2012 International Lilac Convention in Nancy,France. Therefore I have decided to rename my "Lilac Walk" the "Lilac Allee." As the photo above shows, the Lilac Allee at Mt. Cuba is much more formal and better maintained than is mine.

As I have many pots of lilacs that must be planted out this year, the plan is to extend the walk, creating a gently curving grassy path with lilacs on both sides. The current lilac walk is about 90 feet long. It was originally a one sided planting with a 5 foot bed of perennials and bulbs surrounding a very small planting of lilacs. Originally there were only 5 lilacs planted in the row: Sensation, Belle de Nancy, Grande Flora Alba, President Grevy and Miss Canada. Several years later I added a row on the other side.

Last fall I planted out another row of lilacs which now will be joined with additional plantings to the original walk. This should create a wonderful allee approximately 300 feet long. This time around I will lay landscape fabric and mulch so that I do not end up with the maintenance nightmare of dealing with all the grass in the planting. Wish me luck.