You can smell the festival even before you can see the blooms. It’s almost Lilac Time in Lilacia Park, Lombard, Illinois. This year’s dates are April 30 through May 15, 2011, and a complete listing of events is available online, Road Trips Gardeners.

The Lombard Park District hosts the 8.5 acre horticultural display featuring not only 1,200 lilac bushes but 25,000 tulips. Set on the former estate of Colonel William R. Plum, Lilacia Park boasts 200 varieties of lilacs and 50 varieties of tulips along with perennials, annuals, a picnic area and more. (Lombard is suburban Chicago.)

As a bonus this year, the annual convention of the International Lilac Society will be held in Lombard April 28-30, 2011.