Lilacs

This year is a flowering year for our biennial lilac bush and it's pretty much at its peak right now. In the off years, there might be a few flowers, but in the flowering years the bush is covered with purple blooms. I bought the bush from a garden center many years ago without realizing it was a biennial bloomer. I also didn't realize how deep purple the flowers would be. Most of the lilacs around us are either white or a more pale purple than this one.

Close-ups work better than long shots for this lilac bush.

The lilac is hard to photograph, especially when it's bright and sunny outside. Photos of the flowers come out very contrasted and the purple color is so intense that it doesn't look right in pictures. I've adjusted this shot a little to make it look closer to reality. The wisteria is also in bloom, but I haven't got a good photo of it yet.