Central Park's Lilac Walk

It always bothered me that I had such dreary photos of Japanese Lilac Tree posted on this blog. It's a lovely tree, but the photos I took at Sarah Roosevelt Park were, well honestly, a bit dismal.

So, when I was in the Sheep Meadow last Sunday - on what may very well be our *only* sunny day in June - and I saw these beautiful, sparkling specimens, I decided to do another post on Syringa reticulata and the Lilac Walk in Central Park. In fact, it was only when I looked up the link to my previous post on this species did I realize that I wrote it exactly a year ago.


The path you see above is the Lilac Walk in Central Park. As the name suggests, the path is planted with various species of lilacs, including Syringa vulgaris, S. reticulata and S. patula. From April until June this little part of Central Park has something in bloom.


The Lilac Walk is only 39 years old -- it was created in 1970 by philanthropist Nell Singer, who passed away in 2006. The path itself leads to a (currently defunct) concession stand that was once called Mineral Springs. The site was originally conceived as a concession (and will be once again -- the Central Park Conservancy has an outstanding RFP for a Shake Shack type venue) in the late 19th Century. It was called Mineral Springs because, just as now, people were very into fresh 'high end' waters and would-be reformers thought touting the benefits of spring water would lure people away from the evils of alcohol!

Personally, it looks like a great spot for a glass of white wine.