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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
I'm usually not a big fan of white lilacs but these were striking against the blue sky and I couldn't resist snapping it this morning.
This one is called "Avalanche". It was developed by the great lilac hybridizer, Father John Flata. It has large, single florets, arranged in a pinwheel fashion. Often the weight of the flowers is enough to make the cluster droop, like an avalanche of snow.
In 1888, nurserymen George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry endowed the Rochester community with 20 acres of gently rolling hills that are now known as Highland Park. A beautifully landscaped display of shrubs and trees, this was noted as one of the nation's first municipal arboretums.
Renowned park designer Frederick Law Olmstead was responsible for final development of Highland Park. The park's lilac collection was started by horticulturist John Dunbar in 1892 with 20 varieties, some of which were descendants of slips of native Balkan Mountain flowers that were carried to the new world by early colonists. Thereafter, they were favored as a symbol of good luck.
Today, over 500 varieties of lilacs cover 22 of Highland Park's 155 acres.
Rochester's famous Lilac Festival, running May 11 through May 20th this year, is a lavish array of flowers, attractions, and special events that signal the arrival of spring. The 1,200-plus lilac bushes in Highland Park create a floral rainbow ranging from the deepest of purples to the purest of whites.
The largest celebration of its kind in North America, the Lilac Festival brings visitors from every continent. This creates an exotic spectacle of languages, customs, costumes, and colors that are rivaled only by the exquisite bouquet of the blooms they have come to enjoy.
Since 1892 when the first lilacs were planted at the corner of Highland Avenue and South Goodman Street, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world have traveled to Highland Park in Rochester, New York to savor not only the delicate fragrances and visual splendor of the world's largest collection of lilacs, but, in recent years, to partake of an endless array of international foods and to enjoy an extensive variety of musical entertainment.
Cropped, increased saturation and sharpened just a bit. I plan on sharing several other varieties with you all over the next few days. I hope you enjoy the various colors and perspectives. |
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