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Lilacs

© Christina Coruth

Springtime in New Hampshire sometimes reminds me of Charles Dickens' opening line of A Tale of Two Cities. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Mayflies, those horrible little biting black flies that can drive man and beast to insanity, are a sure sign of spring. But nature has a way of balancing things out. She pulls us from the brink of insanity with the fragrance of pure delight--lilacs in bloom!

Lilacs are not indigenous to New Hampshire. Their ancestry traces back to Colonial New Hampshire when Royal Governor Benning Wentworth had them shipped from England to grace the grounds of his mansion in Portsmouth in 1750. The last Royal Governor left New Hampshire in 1775, but the lilacs remained and flourished.

Descendants of those first lilacs bloom today at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion located off Rte 1A on Little Harbor Road in Portsmouth. The restored mansion is open during the summer, and May is Lilac Festival time. Each year visitors flock to the mansion to enjoy the lilacs, to learn about them from resident experts, and to purchase them as well.

New Hampshire declared her love for the purple lilac in 1919 when it was officially designated as the State Flower. Proponents of other flowers such as the May flower, the evening primrose, and the buttercup put forth strong arguments for their choices, but the hardy and enduring purple lilac won out. Even today, there are those who would like to revisit the decision in the hopes that an indigenous flower would be chosen. Still, the purple lilac, with its history that mirrors that of those who first settled this state, remains popular.

In addition to the Lilac Festival at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, Lisbon, in the northwestern part of the state also holds a Lilac Festival in honor of the state flower. Sponsored by the Lisbon Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire's Annual Lilac Time Festival will be held on May 25 through May 27. It will feature flea markets, carnival rides, fireworks, a golf tournament and a parade with floats decorated with lilacs.

Not satisfied with merely being part of the state in which the purple lilac is the official flower, Rochester has designated itself the Lilac City. Where else would you expect to find a business that makes natural soaps in a wide variety of fragrances including that of lilacs? Rochester, of course! It is home to Salmon Falls Soapworks. Visit them on Salmon Falls Road or on the Web--listed below.