rob on the job
May 1st, 2006, 9:22:27 AM
The Lilac Festival is Rochester's biggest event of the year, but sometimes the flowering bushes haven't cooperated.
This year, however, is different. We've had a warm and sunny spring, just the right amount of moisture, and the flower experts say the lilacs should be sensational this year.
EXCERPT:
This year's festival, May 12 through 21 in Highland Park, promises flower power.
"If we keep this cool weather, we should be right on schedule," said Tom Pollock, superintendent of horticulture for the Monroe County Parks Department.
If temperatures push toward the 80s, he said, expect prime flower time the first weekend. If, on the other hand, day temperatures stay in the 60s and nights remain in the 40s, the peak will skew more toward the second weekend.
Still, you can't blame us for a little paranoia when it comes to having a Lilac Fest with, well, lilacs. In 1991, a merciless ice storm hacked huge chunks off the bushes. Several years ago, a string of 80-degree days prompted premature blooms. And four years ago, organizers moved the festival to earlier in May after noticing that the lilacs had been flowering three to five days sooner than in the mid-1960s.
Warm spells earlier this year pushed the lilacs about a week and a half ahead of schedule. But then rain and cold late in April put our blooms back on track for the festival.
MORE
link: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/NEWS01/605010340
This year, however, is different. We've had a warm and sunny spring, just the right amount of moisture, and the flower experts say the lilacs should be sensational this year.
EXCERPT:
This year's festival, May 12 through 21 in Highland Park, promises flower power.
"If we keep this cool weather, we should be right on schedule," said Tom Pollock, superintendent of horticulture for the Monroe County Parks Department.
If temperatures push toward the 80s, he said, expect prime flower time the first weekend. If, on the other hand, day temperatures stay in the 60s and nights remain in the 40s, the peak will skew more toward the second weekend.
Still, you can't blame us for a little paranoia when it comes to having a Lilac Fest with, well, lilacs. In 1991, a merciless ice storm hacked huge chunks off the bushes. Several years ago, a string of 80-degree days prompted premature blooms. And four years ago, organizers moved the festival to earlier in May after noticing that the lilacs had been flowering three to five days sooner than in the mid-1960s.
Warm spells earlier this year pushed the lilacs about a week and a half ahead of schedule. But then rain and cold late in April put our blooms back on track for the festival.
MORE
link: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/NEWS01/605010340