Lombard has been called the Lilac Village since the late 1920s when William R. Plum, affectionately known as the Colonel, bestowed his world-renowned lilac collection to the village for use as its first public park. Colonel Plums 2.5-acre estate was known as Lilacia and began in 1911 after a trip to the Lemoine Lilac Gardens in France. By the time Plum passed away in 1927, he had amassed over 200 varieties of lilacs and had the largest collection of French hybrids in the world. Jens Jensen, the famous landscape architect, designed a public space out of Plums lilac collection with winding paths of native limestone, tulips by the thousands, and a lily pond in the park. The first community-wide Lilac Festival was held in May of 1930, unveiling Jensens Lilacia and including a Lilac Queen and Court, a pageant, parade, and wide variety of events and festivities celebrating the villages new park.

Lombard has been called the "Lilac Village" since the late 1920s when William R. Plum, affectionately known as the "Colonel," bestowed his world-renowned lilac collection to the village for use as its first public park. Colonel Plum's 2.5-acre estate was known as Lilacia and began in 1911 after a trip to the Lemoine Lilac Gardens in France. By the time Plum passed away in 1927, he had amassed over 200 varieties of lilacs and had the largest collection of French hybrids in the world. Jens Jensen, the famous landscape architect, designed a public space out of Plum's lilac collection with winding paths of native limestone, tulips by the thousands, and a lily pond in the park. The first community-wide Lilac Festival was held in May of 1930, unveiling Jensen's Lilacia and including a Lilac Queen and Court, a pageant, parade, and wide variety of events and festivities celebrating the village's new park.

Brochure announcing the Lilac Festival at Lilacia Park in Lombard, Illinois. Since 1930, Lombard has hosted an annual Lilac Festival and parade in May. "Lilac Time in Lombard," is a 16-day festival ending in mid-May. It starts with the Lilac Queen coronation and her court. Many lilac themed events take place, including concerts, a Mothers' Day Brunch, an arts and crafts fair, and tours of the park. The grand finale is Lombard's Lilac Festival Parade.

A comprehensive guide to American public gardens and arboreta, this two volume series provides a state-by-state listing of nearly 2,000 gardens accessible to the public. Each entry provides a general overview of the garden and/or arboretum, hours of operation, admission fees (if any), directions, and a list of special collections and activities.

Aimed at tree lovers of all ages, this beautifully illustrated handbook is the first guide to foraging specifically from trees, looking at all the incredible things we can get and make from them, from food and remedies to toys, whistles and ink. Foraging is one of the fastest-growing nature-related pastimes in the UK and US. There are many books about foraging but this is the only one that focuses on what is arguably everyone's favourite plant - trees! It profiles 40 incredible trees from the UK and US - from apple, ash and bay to walnut, willow and yew, gorgeously illustrated with watercolour, pen and ink botanical illustrations. In her humorous, inspiring and warm text, Adele explains how we can forage from our trees, not only for food, but also for home remedies, for ingredients to use in cocktails and ferments, and for materials to make toys, musical instruments and other useful things. Did you know that you can grind acorns into flour to make pancakes, for example, or use oak galls for ink? Or that Willow can be used for weaving; ash, hazel and oak are all good for making charcoal. Packed full of recipes and things to do, there is also a sprinkling of folklore and superstition, as well as helpful recognition tips. Overall it traces the fascinating story of the intimate relationship between humankind and our trees.