Lilac Days at the Hulda Klager Lilac Garden
Lilacs are my mother’s favorite flower – she loves the purples and pastels and adores the sweet fragrance of lilac. An easy forty minute drive on I-5 north of Portland to the town of Woodland, Washington takes you to the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. The annual Lilac Days are held from the last week of April to mid-May and is when you will see the lilacs in their full glory. This year the festival ran from April 21st to May 13th. From what I gather the peak days for blossoms this year were the early days of May – of course the peak can be different in any given year based on the weather.
The decorated patio of the 1880’s Victorian Farmhouse.
The garden is easy to get to, just a short drive off of the I-5 Woodland Exit. The four acre garden holds an 1880’s Victorian Farmhouse, a barn, a gift shop, a water tower and a nursery area. The property is fronted by a stand of large rhododendrons that were absolutely bursting out in brilliant colors. During Lilac Days you can tour the interior of the Farmhouse and learn about the history of the garden.
This variegated variety is called Sensation – we have a couple of these in our garden.
Hulda was an avid gardener and initially began her foray into hybridizing by crossing different types of apples in search of a better apple for making pies. In the early 1900’s she began hybridizing lilacs and by 1910 she had created 14 new varieties and she was just getting started.
The variety of lilacs at the garden is impressive – a range of colors and variegated varieties, different petal shapes and sizes, and small and large bloom clusters.
In 1948 a flood destroyed the entire garden – everything was swept away except the Farmhouse and the larger trees. Undaunted, Hulda rebuilt the garden, in some cases using cuttings from her customers that she had sold her hybrids to in the past. Lilac Days were back on and Hulda continued in her garden until her passing in 1960. Today, the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, a nonprofit organization, runs the garden and supports the efforts with admission fees, the gift shop and a nursery which sells lilacs.
This purple rhododendron and others at the front of the house are so big that they are more like trees than bushes.
I love the fluffy snowball blooms of the Popcorn Viburnum.
If you missed Lilac Days you will find the Lilac Garden is still a nice place to visit to look at the beautiful Rhododendrons, Popcorn Viburnum, roses, iris, hydrangeas and other flowers. Bring a picnic lunch and eat at one of several picnic tables set in the gardens and take in the heavenly smell of the flowers.