Purple Lilac

New Hampshire State Flower

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Purple lilac flowers

A beautiful close-up of purple lilac flowers; photo by RachelEllen on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share-alike).

Purple Lilac

New Hampshire designated the purple lilac as the official state flower in 1919. The apple blossom, purple aster, wood lily, mayflower, goldenrod, wild pasture rose, evening primrose and buttercup were all considered, but the purple lilac was chosen because it symbolizes the hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State.

A lilac bush can live for hundreds of years. There are over 1,000 varieties of lilacs in several colors including white and pink. Originally from Europe and Asia, lilacs date back to the 1750's in America - they were planted in our first botanical gardens and both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew lilacs in their gardens. New York recognizes lilac as the official state bush.

New Hampshire

Images

Purple lilac flowers; photo by greenhem on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works).

Purple lilac flowers

Videos

Lilac - Syringa vulgaris - How to grow Lilac