I think I have a little case of spring fever.

Maybe it's because of the extremely agreeable weather recently, and the promise of even warmer days. I've had enough of the up and down winter/spring we've had. I've just gotten a taste of summer, and I want more of it. And with this time of year, comes the delicious smell of lilacs.

Photo by Karo K. on Unsplash
Photo by Karo K. on Unsplash
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Yes, I'm a 6'2" bald, tattooed musician/DJ that loves the smell of lilacs. I also love hummingbirds. Chipmunks are cute too. Baby goats? Sign me up! Never judge a book by it's cover. Anyhoo, we have a few lilac bushes in my yard, because I want to smell them wherever I go outside. But do you know what their original purpose was?

Think about it for just a second... they smell pretty.

I mean sure, they look nice enough, but it's their scent that really please folks the most. They're not some mega-beauty in the foliage department. But again, it's the smell..... That's a pretty big hint. But probably not as big as the hint of grossness that lilacs were battling.

Photo by Jennifer Lim-Tamkican on Unsplash
Photo by Jennifer Lim-Tamkican on Unsplash
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See, that's because lilacs used to go next to the outhouse, for a pretty obvious reason. They smell nice... the outhouse doesn't. And if you ever wondered why at old houses, they're all in row? Whenever the outhouse was too, uuhh... full, they'd move it down. And they would then plant another bush on top of it. Talk about fertilizer!!

It was all the rage 100-150 years ago.

From what I read in this article, no one was landscaping back then. Back when you grew your own food, slaughtered your own animals, and wore clothes made from burlap sacks, you didn't really give a crap what your yard looked like.

You cared about not having the smell of someone's digested dinner wafting through your house. Now, the practical side of me wonders, what about when the flowers were gone? Does it just go back to becoming a stink pile? They only bloom for a very precious few weeks, and that certainly isn't the hottest part of the summer.

Khosrork
Khosrork
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But hey... while I solved one Scooby Doo mystery today, I suppose it just made new questions for me. Maybe this is where landscaping came from. Just trying to find new ways to hide the smells of the outhouse, and face it, probably the cows and chickens too. That'll just have to be for another time.

If you're trying to up your yard game this year, check these out...

What Flowers Thrive in New England

See what flowers thrive in New England weather: Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Hidden Gem Home in Maine Wilderness Made From Shipping Containers

This unique Airbnb home created by shipping containers is solar-powered too.

These Are the Seven Modern Wonders of Maine

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