PARIS — The lilacs will be blooming for this year’s Lilac Festival at the McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, 97 Main St., over Memorial Day weekend.

Special events in honor of the lilacs planted by Bernard McLaughlin years ago will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Monday, May 24 to 27. Visitors may wander through the garden at will or take a guided tour at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. A lecture on growing lilacs is scheduled at 11 a.m. daily.

A reception honoring the artists participating in the first of this season’s Art in the Barn series will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, May 24. The show of Alice Kirkpatrick and Jean Beal is titled “In Full Bloom: Intimate Views of Plant Life.” The works of botanical art have been up for view for much of May.

A book signing and talk by Lisa Colburn, author of the Maine Garden Journal, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Colburn has collected information from gardeners all over the state on what to plant and on best gardening practices.

The annual plant sale will continue and includes some divisions from the historic garden and hard-to-find wildflower specimens. There is a selection of lilacs for sale.

A scavenger hunt will be ongoing for the young and the young at heart. The garden is family friendly, although people are asked not to pick the flowers or trample the beds. Everyone is invited to smell the flowers up close.

Admission is free although donations are accepted. Further information is available by calling 743-8820 or visiting www.mclaughlingarden.org.

Supporting Sponsor for the Advertiser Democrat
Keeping communities informed by supporting local news. norwaysavings.bank