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"Ogallala
Couple Have the Largest Private
Lilac Collection in America"
By
Dirk Maley
From and
article published in the May 1998 issue of the
Rural Electric Nebraskan
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For a living, Max
Peterson raises wheat. For fun, he raises lilacs.
"Some people collect stamps. I raise lilacs.
That's my hobby," says Peterson, whose farm is located 14
miles southeast of Ogallala.
When in bloom, Peterson's lilac
collection attracts visitors and horticulturists from across
the United States and even from Canada and other countries.
On his Perkins County
farmstead, Peterson raises over 830 varieties of lilacs.
It's the largest private collection of lilacs in the world, a
collection consisting of some of the rarest and most beautiful
lilacs in existence.
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Max grows the lilacs on a
portion of land that was homesteaded by Swedish immigrants
Louis and Katherine Peterson, his grandparents. |
| In 1981, Peterson
was honored by the International Lilac Society. He
received the organization's President's Award "for
outstanding horticulture achievement in the field of lilac
research and culture." He was also recognized
"for turning a portion of the Nebraska prairie into an
unbelievable lilac garden."
Peterson's passion for lilacs
grew from a trip that he and his wife Darlene took in 1968 to
Mobile, Alabama where they saw the Bellingrath Gardens, home
to one of the largest collections of camellias in the world.
A year later, he planted a row
of about 25 lilac bushes. Later, he planted an
additional 25 to 30 lilac bushes. Numerous other
plantings have followed. |
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"After each planting, I found my
saying, "That's it, but I just kept planting more. It was
sort of like I had a tiger by the tail and couldn't let go. I
just kept collecting and planting new varieties."
The seven basic lilac colors are
blue, lilac, magenta pink, purple, violet and white. They grow
with single blooms of four petals, semi-doubles with eight to 10
petals and doubles with 20 or more petals.
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In addition to over
a thousand lilac bushes, the Peterson farmstead contains
numerous flower beds, a vegetable patch and an orchard.
The Peterson's have nearly 50 varieties of trees growing on
their farm, including ash, pine, Russian Olive, cedar, pinion,
aspen and Ginko.
Since Max is now semi-retired,
he actually spends more time caring for his lilacs than he
does farming.
"I'm slowly turning the
farm over to our our son Jeff, so I've not spent as much time
farming as I used to," he explains. "In
a few years, Jeff will be doing all the farming."
So, what's the secret to
keeping over a thousand lilac bushes looking and smelling
good?
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"It's having a wife that
really helps out a lot," says Peterson.
"There's no way I could take care of all these lilacs
without Darlene's help. She does a lot of the work and
she deserves to be recognized also."
The Peterson's keep busy making
sure their lilac bushes get plenty of water, and that they get
sprayed now and then for protection against diseases and bugs. |
| "It really
doesn't require a lot to be able to grow lilacs," says
Peterson. "They're very hardy. But you do
need to plant them where they'll get plenty of sun."
"Everybody should have at
least one lilac bush in their garden," he says.
"Not only are they extremely beautiful, but they give off
such a lovely fragrance."
Lilacs aren't native to
America, according to Peterson. They originated in
Bulgaria and were brought to this country by the early
pilgrims. His mother actually planted a few
lilacs on the current homestead over 40 years ago. Needless to
say, the number of lilacs has grown significantly since Max and
Darlene took control of the farm. |
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Individuals or groups can generally
view the lilacs on the Peterson farm around the second or three week
in May when the bushes are blooming. However, since peak
blossoming times may vary, visitors should first contact the
Peterson's at (308) 284-2524 to determine when the lilac gardens are
open to the public.
Directions to the Peterson farm are
as follows:
- From Ogallala, go south on Highway
61.
- Upon seeing a sign on the west
side of the road that says "Entering Perkins County,"
go south one more mile.
- Turn and go east five miles.
- Then, turn north and go
three-fourths of a mile.
From and article
published in the May 1998 issue of the
Rural Electric Nebraskan
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