View the blooms at Arnold Arboretum’s Lilac Sunday

Tour one of the largest lilac collections in North America this Mother’s Day.

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

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The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University once again hosts Lilac Sunday on May 12, Mother’s Day. During the event, which has been celebrated since 1908, guests can take guided or self-guided tours of the lilac collection, which are all mostly located along Bussey Road in the heart of the arboretum.

In 1908, The Boston Globe dubbed the last Sunday in May “Lilac Sunday at Arnold Arboretum.” Today, the event is celebrated on the second Sunday each May, a.k.a. Mother’s Day, although most of the lilacs bloom throughout the whole month. With 407 individual lilac plants, the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain has one of the largest lilac collections in North America.

From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., visitors can attend tours starting from Arborway Gate and the Ponds. They can also print out a self-guided tour, or download the park’s mobile app, Expeditions, for virtual tours. Visitors can also expect hands-on children’s’ programming, and Lilac Sunday is the only day that picnicking is allowed at the arboretum.

The arboretum strongly encourages visitors to use public transit, as thousands of attendees are expected. The arboretum is free and open to the public, so Lilac Sunday visitors can come anytime during the park’s open hours — from sunrise until sunset.