Gardening with Sam: Plan for flower festivals

It’s almost winter now, but it’s a good time to plan to see some beautiful flowers at festivals next year. In addition to those I mentioned last week, here a few more options for flower festivals across the country –and even one hosted by our neighbors to the north:

• Rochester Lilac Festival, Rochester, N.Y., May 12-21 – Celebrities lilacs are prevalent at this 10-day festival in Highland Park. See more than 500 varieties, like the white Frederick Law Olmsted lilac, named after the landscape architect who developed the park.
• Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, Mackinac Island, Mich. – The climate here helps lilacs grown larger and live longer than in other places in the U.S. Lilacs blooming today were planted during the Victorian era. No cars are allowed on the island, but you can walk or take a horse-drawn carriage tour of flowering lilacs streets and historic homes.
• Peony Festival, Oschawa, Ontario, Canada, June 9-10 – Peonies will be bursting into bloom at the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens – more than 300 varieties. There will also be a wonderful art show, with as many peony paintings as you would want to view and art lessons on the spot for artists.

All dates are taken from “Birds and Blooms” magazine.

I have one camellia plant and one dogwood. I need a cherry tree and one lilac bush. I am also looking for a peony plant – but I do have about 50 tulips and iris bulbs.

Sometimes I ride around town and look at other people’s gardens and say “One day …” – and now that I am in my 60s, I still say “One day …”

Enjoy your blooms.