1962

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/04/07/dumbarton-oaks-garden-design-bliss-farrand/?itid=hp-more-top-stories

I will never understand why lilacs are so underused in Italy. They are among my favorite blooming shrubs of all time, yet one almost never sees them here.

Recently I spotted a rare planting of them near the Horticultural Garden in Florence. I went a little bit nuts with the pictures of them, but you must remember we are under lockdown and there isn’t much stimulation in my everyday life at the moment!

Walking through the Horticultural Garden during lockdown (are you as bored with this phrase as I am with lockdown itself?), I came upon a striking scene. The palazzo in the background has a pinkish hue and the bright pink blossoms on the fruit tree, against the palazzo and the clear, luminous sky, made for quite a picture! I attempted to capture it with my phone camera.

Try 1:

Try 2:

Try 3:

Try 4:

Try 5:

Try 6: I gave up on capturing the pink palazzo and just went for the blossoms, bark, and sky. Perfection? Not close.

Try 6: I gave up on the blossoms and refreshed my eyes with bright, green foliage alone, against an azure sky. Close enough.