Enough with the lilacs!
We get it: They’re lovely. They’re delicate. They smell
wonderful. We have tons of them. Many are the reasons that we have a massive
festival dedicated to them every year.
But Rochesterain’t called the FlowerCity for nothing. The area features
much more than lilacs, especially Highland Park.
The 155-acre arboretum designed by Frederick Law Olmstead — the pioneering
landscape architect who also designed New York City’s Central Park — is home
to more than 6,000 different planet species, according to Tom Pollock, Monroe
County’s superintendent of horticulture.
In an anticipation of the thousands of people who will
descend on Highland May 12-21 for
the Lilac Festival, Pollock took us on a tour of the
park to point out some of its hidden botanical treasures. Anybody can pick out
a lilac at 40 paces. Here’s your chance to learn about some of the more exotic
plants, like the rubber tree, with its incredibly viscous sap, or the Japanese Katsura, which come fall turns bright orange and smells of
slightly burned sugar. We also give props to some more well-known collections,
like Highland’s gorgeous magnolias and regal rhododendrons, which sometimes get
overlooked because folks stop at smelling the… well, you know what we’re
talking about. And it’s not roses.
1. Caucasian Wingnut
Location: Across
Reservoir Drive from the Lamberton
Conservatory, right near Poet’s Corner.
The Wingnut might not look like
much right now — just a huge, craggy tree with silver-white bark set back
among the narcissus. But in about three weeks you’ll be able to see a peculiar
formation of flowers and fruit on a tree you’re not likely to find anywhere else
in this state; the Wingnut, Pollock says, is rarely
cultivated. If you look closely, you can already see the emergence of “chains”
of flower buds, which will eventually become long strands of nuts with “wings”
(hence the name). And the tree provides interesting views for weeks: the seeds
should last until late July.
2. Magnolia collection
Location: Throughout
the park, but clustered between the southern edge of the Reservoir and Highland Avenue.
There’s nothing hidden about the magnolia’s majesty — Rochester
is blessed to have many of the gorgeous, early-flowering trees. What’s special
about Highland’s collection is that
there are more than 28 different varieties, making it one of the most extensive
and varied groupings of magnolias in the northeast. Look especially for the Yulan magnolia, a rarely cultivated variety with flowers
that resemble tulips, and the Big-leaved magnolia, with waxy white flowers that
are often more than 10 inches in diameter.
3. Tree Peony
Location: Just off the
southern path between the magnolia collection and the barberry collection.
Highland’s tree
peony collection is a fairly recent addition, having been planted in the last
three years. Currently, the plants look like little bushes stuck atop sticks in
the ground, but in the next few weeks (hopefully by the end of the Lilac Fest)
they’ll bloom in “huge, saucer-like flowers that look like crepe paper,”
Pollock says. The colors vary from ruby reds to buttery yellows.
4. Louisiana Iris garden
Location: At the end
of the magnolia collection, before the Japanese maples.
The iris garden was a gift to the park from one of our
Sister Cities, Hamamatsu,
Japan. It features all
five original Louisiana varieties of irises — a plant that has been
hybridized like crazy since the 1920s, Pollock says, so finding all the
original stock in one place is unusual. In mid-June the irises will flower,
growing to waist or breast height and ranging in appearance from the “bearded”
version to flowers more akin to daylilies.
5. Japanese Maple collection
Location: Throughout
the park, but clustered along the southern slope of the reservoir.
Like magnolias, Japanese maple trees themselves aren’t rare.
They’ve become popular landscaping options, as their wildly varying foliage
colors look exotic compared to our area’s natural maples’ golds,
oranges, and reds. Pollock says he’s proud of the park’s diversity of Japanese
maples, many of which are of the more ornamental variety and range in size,
leaf shape, and color, from bright red to deep purple.
6. Rubber Tree
Location: Down the
southern slope opposite the Japanese maples
This tree is off the beaten track, both literally and
figuratively. It doesn’t look like much to the naked eye. But if you break one
of its leaves (and, um, please don’t break its leaves), you’ll notice that the
sap that emerges forms fibers between the two halves and feels a bit like
rubber cement. Pollock says you’re unlikely to find this tree cultivated at all
regionally, possibly even nationally.
7. Raisin Tree
Location: Just to the
right of the Japanese maple collection on the reservoir’s southern slope.
This bizarre tree doesn’t actually produce raisins, which
are, of course, just dried grapes. But it does put out round, yellow,
grape-like fruits that then mature into puckered, raisin-looking berries.
Pollock doesn’t recommend eating them, however. In addition to that being
against park rules, the berries are awfully bitter, he says. This oddity is
also a rarity, and Pollock says you won’t find many of them in the horticulture
trade.
8. Japanese Katsura
Location: Off the
trail just east of the Winter Garden, near the fence along Highland Avenue.
The Katsura is one of Pollock’s
favorite trees in the park, and it’s easy to see why. First, it’s enormous.
Pollock estimates that it’s at least 90 years old, since it was planted in 1919
and must have been several years old before planting. Children often play in the
shade under its full canopy of round-ish leaves, he
says. But the most stunning aspects of the Katsura
won’t emerge until fall, when its bright green foliage turns a radiant orange
— the color of Creamsicles, Pollock says — and
gives off a pleasant, burnt brown-sugar smell. This one is possibly the largest
Katsura specimen in the state.
9. Rose Meadow
Location: Between the Weigelas and Honeysuckles, on the way to the
Azalea-Rhododendron dell.
The Rose Meadow is special not for its plants, but for its
lack of them. Pollock says that one of Frederick Law Olmstead’s hallmarks was
creating pastoral settings in the middle of his parks — nice, open green
spaces set off by a variety of flora on the borders. The Rose Meadow is a good
example: its gently sloping lawn practically begs for a picnic set up, and a
wide array of surrounding plants gives plenty to look at, from shrubs and
bushes to a raisin tree at the top to, yes, a few roses in the flower beds.
10. Silver Bells
Location: In the midst
of the lilac groves, near the corner of Highland Avenue and South Goodman Street.
You have to leave the walking path to see the Silver Bell
trees, which live up to their name. Once the plant reaches maturity — right
around Lilac Fest, Pollock says — its delicate, bell-shaped flowers will be
silver white with pink streaks.
11. Viburnum
Location: Mixed in
with the lilacs and Silver Bells
Lilacs won’t be the only thing you smell in the park this
spring. Viburnums are wonderfully fragrant plants (at
least the species present in Highland Park),
with scents that can range from lightly sweet to heavily perfumed.
12. Rhododendron Dell
Location: To the right
of the reservoir, just off Pinetum Drive.
Rhododendrons are fairly common, but this collection in a
pine-shaded alley still impresses with its number and variety of plants. A
combination of both rhododendrons and azaleas, some of the bushes are already
in breathtaking bloom, but many have a few weeks to go. The finicky plants
require a lot of care: they need acidic soil, lots of drainage, partial sun,
etc., and so new additions to the collection are fairly common. Also look for
the Lily of the Valley bush, part of the same family but with a delightfully
distinctive look.
Lilac Festival 2006
Flowers, crafts, cute kids up on a stage, Teddy Geiger:
There’s plenty to see and do at the 10-day-long Lilac Festival. Here’s your
chance to walk the gorgeous paths of Highland Park
and see big-name music acts like Ben Lee, Steve Tyrell and the aforementioned
Mr. Geiger, all up on the Lilac Stage. You can get the full festival schedule
at www.lilacfestival.com, but here are the highlights broken down day by day.
Friday, May 12
Noon: Opening
ceremony
7 p.m.: Ben Lee
(Lilac Stage). The alt-pop Aussie is a real charmer in his live stage shows.
Expect lots of bouncy, singable confections from his
most recent album, Awake is the New
Sleep.
Saturday, May 13
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Lilac Festival Arts & Crafts Show (corner of South and Highland
avenues). More than 125 artists and craftmakers set
up shop.
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Home and Yard Show (along Highland Avenue,
near the corner of Highland and
South). Get tips for how to make your garden look as good as Highland
Park.
11 a.m.: Lilac
Parade (travels down South Avenue
from Science Parkway to Goodman
Street). See the Rochester RazorSharks,
clowns from Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, more marching bands
than you can shake a stick at, and Lilac Festival Queen Cory Kleiman.
7 p.m.: Atlas
(Lilac Stage).The regional party band celebrates 25 years of taking care of
business, working for the weekend, etc.
Sunday, May 14
10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.:
Lilac Festival Arts & Crafts Show (see Saturday, May 13).
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Home and Garden Show (see Saturday, May 13).
7 p.m.New Riders of the Purple Sage (Lilac Stage). Jam band
legends will bring plenty of country-friend noodling.
Monday, May 15
7 p.m. Jody Watley (Lilac Stage). The R
‘n’ B chanteuse continues looking for real love.
Tuesday, May 16
(Latino Day)
5:30 p.m.: Luisito Rosario (Lilac Stage). The international salsa
singer leads you in the rumba, salsa, and more.
7:15 p.m.: Tito
Allen (Lilac Stage). Even more salsa sounds.
Wednesday, May 17
(Seniors Day)
7 p.m.: Richard
Street (Lilac Stage). The former lead singer of
The Temptations sings the hits from the good ol’
days.
Thursday, May 18
(Jazz ‘n Wine Day)
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Wine tastings and food sampling from New
York wineries and more (Big Top Tent, near corner of Highland
and Goodman).
Noon-7 p.m.: Farmers Market. (Corner of South and Highland
avenues)
5 p.m.: Gala in
the Park (Lamberton Conservatory). Raise funds for
FOODLINK with an evening of food and wine (costs $60, call 328-3880).
7 p.m.: Steve
Tyrell (Lilac Stage). The jazz singer gives voice to the standards.
Friday, May 19
7 p.m.: Uncle Plum
(Lilac Stage). Local rockers play for the hometown crowd.
Saturday, May 20
(WBEE Country Day)
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Art in the Park.
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Home and Yard Show (see Saturday, May 13).
7 p.m.: Megan
Mullins (Lilac Stage). Musical prodigy brings bluegrass and more.
Sunday, May 21
8 a.m.: Medved Lilac 5K & 10K Family Fun Run (Cornell
Cooperative Extension, Highland Avenue).
5K race starts at 8 a.m., 10K at 9 a.m., registration at 7 a.m.
10 a.m.-6 p.m.:
Art in the Park.
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.:
Home and Yard Show (see Saturday, May 13).
7 p.m.: Teddy
Geiger (Lilac Stage) Oh, you know you want it.
Parking information: It’s never a picnic, that’s for sure. Don’t park on side streets unless you
want a ticket or your car towed. On the weekends, park for free at MonroeCommunity College (1000
East Henrietta Road) and take an RTS shuttle for
$1 to the festival. Weekdays you can park for free in marked festival lots on
Goodman Street (south of Highland Avenue) and Elmwood Avenue (east of South
Avenue). For more information go to www.lilacfestival.com.
This article appears in May 10-16, 2006.
