See the lilacs at Arnold Arboretum’s annual Lilac Sunday

The event returns on Mother’s Day for the first time since 2019.

Lilacs bloom throughout May at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

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The Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain will host its annual Lilac Sunday, a celebration of the park’s hundreds of lilacs while in peak bloom — on Mother’s Day weekend. This year marks the Arboretum’s 112^th Lilac Sunday. The event did not take place for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Arnold Arboretum has over 400 lilac plants and 149 different taxa, one of the finest collections in North America. While lilacs are part of New England’s horticultural heritage, like much of the area’s flora, they’re not native to North America. Most lilac species come from Asia, while the common lilac hails from eastern Europe.

Lilac Sunday visitors can take a guided tour with an expert or an independent tour with the Arboretum’s mobile app or this printable guide. The Arnold Arboretum will also host hands-on children’s activities. Other springtime flowers blooming in May include the Arboretum’s impressive crabapple and rhododendron collections.

The 281-acre preserve turns 150 this year, and they’ve celebrated Lilac Sunday since 1908, when The Boston Globe dubbed the last Sunday in May of 1908 “Lilac Sunday at Arnold Arboretum.” The holiday has since moved to the second Sunday in May, although the hundreds of lilac plants bloom throughout the month.

The Arnold Arboretum is free and open to the public every day, sunrise to sunset. The park is easily accessible by public transit or bike, and the Arborway and Bussey Street offer free parking.