Lilacs

Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens

This last weekend on my way home from Portland I stopped in Woodland Washington to visit the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. I have passed this exit off the freeway for over sixteen years and finally without kids in the car decided to take the exit and make the detour. Am I glad I did this time! What a jewel in a small town. The below picture is just one I took on my camera phone so the quality is very poor. However, I wanted to document my visit. By visiting the web site you will see the pictures of Hulda's home and her surrounding gardens which are open all year long. This is a great time of year because the lilac's are in bloom.

Here is a story about a woman who began in 1905 working tirelessly to cultivate fourteen new varieties of lilacs in her yard. Only to have them all wiped out in a flood in 1948. Her farm was under water from the flood for six weeks. Virtually all of her work was destroyed. However, at the age of 83 she was not discouraged. No... she and her son restored the gardens and replaced everything she lost.

Hulda loved her garden and it shows as you walk the grounds and enjoy the beauty of the lilacs and her home. For two dollars ( yes two dollars ) you get to enter the gardens and tour her home. Everything is in place as the day she left it when she passed away at 93 years old. Working up to the day in her garden.

I was very impressed by the dedication of the volunteers to the grounds and their love and knowledge of Hulda. I even purchased a Lilac bush from her garden and brought it home that afternoon. Picked a nice sunny spot!