Boston Flora

Tag: Lilac Sunday

  • Sunday, May 12, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Lilac Sunday

    Experience the springtime bloom of our renowned collection of over 400 lilacs. Visit for tours with Arboretum experts, hands-on children’s programming, and more. Picnicking in the Arboretum landscape is permitted on this day only, Sunday, May 12 from 10 – 3.

    Located primarily on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum (many of which can also be enjoyed at this time), only the lilac is singled out each year for a daylong celebration.

    Pack a picnic and make your way to the lilac collection on Bussey Hill Road. With 407 lilac plants representing 173 taxa (kinds), the Arboretum holds one of the premier lilac collections in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908. Join an Arboretum expert for a guided tour of the lilac collection. Tours depart between 10:00am–2:30pm from Arborway Gate and the Ponds. Access the lilac tour—as well as over 60 additional plants and areas—on our mobile app, Expeditions. The app is available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese/Mandarin. You can access Expeditions through your smartphone’s internet browser or download the app from the Apple App store and the Google Play store.

  • Sunday, May 8 – Lilac Sunday

    Join The Arnold Arboretum for the first Lilac Sunday since 2019! We’ll be celebrating 150 years of Arboretum history and 112 Lilac Sundays.

    Experience the springtime bloom of our renowned collection of nearly 400 lilacs. Visit for tours with Arboretum experts, hands-on children’s programming, and more. Picnicking in the Arboretum landscape is permitted on this day only. With 399 lilac plants representing 177 taxa (kinds), the Arboretum holds one of the premier lilac collections in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908. Signs in the landscape feature specific lilacs to reveal the amazing diversity of this special collection. Print a Self-Guided Lilac Tour. For hours and more information, visit https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/lilacs-at-the-arnold-arboretum/

  • Lilacs Will Bloom Without Lilac Sunday

    In keeping with CDC and Harvard COVID-19 guidelines for large gatherings, the Arnold Arboretum has suspended all public programs until further notice including Lilac Sunday 2020, our annual festivities celebrating lilacs and the arrival of spring. All formal activities such as tours, family crafts and science, and performances scheduled for Sunday, May 10 are canceled. Picnics will not be allowed on this or any day. The good news is that our spectacular lilacs will bloom as usual over the course of several weeks (typically late April through mid-to-late May). We invite you to visit during these weeks of peak lilac bloom, but request that you follow safety guidelines and respect our plants. If the landscape appears to be too crowded for safe visitation, please return another time.

  • Sunday, May 12, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Lilac Sunday

    Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Mainly located on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908. Tours of the lilacs and family activities are available from 10 – 3 on Sunday, May 12. Picnicking is permitted on this day only, but food must be brought into the Arboretum – no food vendors will be allowed on site. The landscape is open from dawn to dusk. For more information visit http://arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, May 13, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum: NEW SATURDAY RAIN DATE

    Due to forecasts of severe showers, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University has elected to cancel all Lilac Sunday activities planned for Sunday, May 14, and will instead offer a modified slate of tours and family activities for the public on Saturday, May 13 from 10am–3pm. Although picnicking privileges—typically allowed only on Lilac Sunday—will be extended to Saturday, food truck vendors associated with Food Truck Festivals of America will not be participating in the event. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arnold Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Mainly located on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America.  Be a part of this beloved Boston tradition on Saturday, May 13. Check https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/lilac-sunday/ for the day-of schedule of events.

    Design below copyright Mary Kocol.

  • December 18 – Submission Deadline Lilac Sunday T-Shirt Design Contest

    The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University invites artists of all ages to submit their logo designs for the Lilac Sunday 2017 T-shirt. Lilac-themed T-shirts have been a tradition for many years, and continue to be a highly anticipated and popular memento of this event.

    Design must include:
    Lilac Sunday 2017
    Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
    No more than 4 colors

    Questions?
    Find more information at website below or email arbweb@arnarb.harvard.edu

    Submission Deadline: December 18, 2016.
    Submit digital file to arbweb@arnarb.harvard.edu with Lilac Sunday Logo Competition as the subject. Please include your name, address, and phone number.  2011 submission below from http://www.ailicontinifield.com

  • Sunday, May 8, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – 108th Annual Lilac Sunday

    Sunday, May 8, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – 108th Annual Lilac Sunday

    Boston’s beloved tradition of Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University since the early 1900s, and continues to delight visitors from all walks of life each year. On May 8 from 10am to 3pm, the Arboretum invites nature lovers and garden enthusiasts to explore the Arboretum landscape to view one of the world’s most significant collections of lilacs at their peak of bloom. More than a premiere horticultural event, Lilac Sunday also honors the Arboretum’s 134-year partnership with the City of Boston and its commitment to community education and engagement. As New Englanders herald the coming of spring, Lilac Sunday invites the public to appreciate the beauty and importance of plants at this time-honored and family-friendly festival.

    The Arboretum’s one-of-a-kind lilac collection numbers some 369 plants representing nearly 170 different kinds of lilacs. Together, they provide a season of color and scent that extends up to six weeks each spring. As in recent years, Lilac Sunday 2016 falls on Mother’s Day, making the occasion even more special and memorable as a family destination. The event is free, though donations to the Arboretum are appreciated. Additional information about lilacs (Syringa spp.) and the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is available on the Arboretum website.

    Lilac Sunday showcases Boston’s unique learning landscape in bloom and offers fun, outdoor explorations for the entire family. Scheduled activities range from themed tours of lilacs and other special plant collections to an array of activities for families and children. A consortium of nearly twenty food trucks organized by Food Truck Festivals of America—including savory tacos, fall-off-the-bone BBQ, vegetarian treats, and French macaroons—will offer a wide variety of menu options from 11am to 3pm, and picnicking is allowed at the Arboretum on this special day only. Visitors are encouraged to take public transportation. The MBTA Forest Hills station on the Orange Line is nearby, and several bus lines serve the Arboretum area. Parking is limited to available curb space on streets surrounding the Arboretum perimeter.

    Founded in 1872 as the first public arboretum in North America, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a leading center for the study of biodiversity and a treasured Boston landscape open free to the public year round. One of the most comprehensive and best documented collections of temperate woody plants in the world, the Arboretum promotes the understanding and appreciation of plants through world-class research, horticulture, and educational programs for all ages.

  • Through Tuesday, December 15 – Lilac Sunday T-shirt Competition

    Create a piece of Arnold Arboretum history & enter the contest to design the 2016 Lilac Sunday T-shirt!  The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University invites artists of all ages to submit their designs for Lilac Sunday 2016.  The winning 2015 design is shown below.

    Lilac-themed t-shirts have been a tradition at Lilac Sunday for many years, and continue to be a highly anticipated and popular memento of this event. Entry is free, but entries must be received by Tuesday, December 15. For complete details visit http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/lilac-t-shirt-contest/

  • Sunday, May 10 – Lilac Sunday

    This year’s Lilac Sunday T-shirt was designed by the Boston Architectural College Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Olivia Fragale, a 2014 Hunnewell Intern at the Arnold Arboretum’s plant propagation and nursery facility, led the initiative and worked collaboratively with the Arboretum’s Lilac Sunday organizers and printer Evan Webster of Evan Webster Ink in Shelburne, Vermont. Celebrate spring at the Arboretum on Lilac Sunday, May 10, 2015.

  • Sunday, May 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Lilac Sunday

    Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arnold Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration.  Tours of the lilacs and other special collections, live music, family activities, food vendors and picnicking (on this special day only), make for a memorable day. Be a part of this beloved Boston tradition on Sunday, May 11! The Arboretum is open as usual from dawn to dusk. Refreshments and activities are available from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

    Parking:
    Street parking along the Arboretum perimeter is limited and visitors are advised to take public transportation. No unauthorized vehicles will be allowed within the gates during the event.

    Accessibility:
    Some parking spaces outside the gates will be designated for special-needs visitors. A limited number of wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis at information tents in three locations: in front of the Hunnewell Visitor Center, inside the Forest Hills Gate, and inside the Centre Street Gate. They may not be reserved in advance.  While you are in the neighborhood, we invite you to visit local shops and restaurants in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale.  For more Lilac Sunday information call the Arnold Arboretum at 617.524.1718.  Syringa Bloomerang (reg. trademark) pictured below available from www.whiteflowerfarm.com.

    http://images.whiteflowerfarm.com/m067623a.jpg