Once I spoke the language of the flowers...

The lilac represent youthful innocence and confidence. White lilac symbolises humility and innocence, while purple lilac symbolises the first emotions of love.

The lilac, with its potent beauty and enchanting fragrance, has been a source of inspiration for artists and authors for ages. In the T.S. Eliot poem, “Portrait of a Lady,” lilacs are used to ease the lady’s frustration; in both, “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d” and “Warble for Lilac-Time,” Walt Whitman uses the lilac bush to describe the enduring nature of spring; “Lilacs” by Vincent van Gogh is a slightly muted, but realistic reproduction of a syringa vulgaris shrub beside a lake; while Claude Monet’s “Resting Under the Lilacs” features a bright scene of three people sitting calmly under pink, blooming shrubs.

In addition to art, lilacs have found a place in mythology and folklore. In Greek myth, a stunning nymph named Syrinx caught the eye of the god of fields and forests, Pan. The nymph was unmoved by his affections, but Pan was not to be turned away. He chased her until she became exhausted. To hide from the amorous nature god, Syrinx turned herself into the lilac shrub.

Superstitious beliefs also follow the lilac. It was once thought that bringing even a small clipping of this shrub into the house could cause a rash of bad luck; in Russia, cradling a newborn baby beneath this plant will give it wisdom; while a lilac blossom that carries an odd number of petals is extremely lucky.

Because lilacs bloom so early, they are strongly associated with spring, renewal, and fresh starts. The year-to-year differences in timing of the lilac bloom are said to indicate whether spring will be early or late. Its early blooming on the heels of a cold winter also symbolises hardiness.