We started the day at The Grand Hotel’s miniature golf course. It had rough and sand traps and was situated in the Tea Garden.
We celebrated Mackinac Island’s largest and most historic festival. There are 200 different lilacs on the island and some are over 300 years old. There are 600 lilac shrubs on public lands. They were brought here mostly by fur traders. Lilacs are not native to the USA. They come from Asia and Eastern Europe. However, they have become naturalized.
Our lilac docent led 100 people on an extensive 1½ hour educational tour. By the end of the tour, there were 20 … and yes, I was one of them together with Rob. I don’t think that I will look at a lilac the same way again.
There are 2,000 varieties of lilacs in the world, and they are classified into four series. If one wants 8 weeks of blooms, plant all four series. If there is an X in the name, it is a cultivar which means a plant variety that has been intentionally bred or selected by humans for specific, desirable traits.
Syringa vulgaris (Common Lilac): highly fragrant, spring-blooming shrubs with both single and double flowers.
Syringa oblata: Pale pinkish-lavender flowers that are one of the first species to blossom in the spring.
Syringa reticulata (Japanese Tree Lilac): Often grows into a small tree rather than a shrub and blooms in early summer.
Syringa meyeri (Meyer Lilac): A more compact, dwarf-sized lilac commonly used in smaller gardens or borders.
Each series has its own characteristics and blooms at different times. The most popular is Series 1 common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and has a heart shaped leaf and blooms early and for two weeks.
Lilacs thrive with cool water and weather. These shallow rooted shrubs originated in the mountains and grow in temperate zones 3-8. Cold weather is needed to set the bloom for next year.
Lilacs don’t need fertilizer on Mackinac Island because the soil contains limestone. They are wind pollinators but grow very slowly.
Pruning is needed 2 weeks after they are done blooming. Always undercut first to avoid damage. Take the dead branches first, then cracked branches, and then cross branches that are rubbing. Do not use wound dressing, actually on anything. It traps IN bacteria etc. instead of keeping it out.
Mackinac
Island Lilac Festival Parade
After the parade we circumnavigated the island by bicycle … all 8.2 miles of it. I only fell once … but that was because my seat was too high. We also saw the places where Somewhere in Time was filmed.
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