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 May 1 through 16, 2010, but the lilacs decide when they’re at peak bloom. Fortunately the online Bloomometer tells you what’s happening with the flowering before you get in the car, Road Trips Gardeners.

The Lombard Park District hosts the 8.5 acre horticultural display featuring not only 1,200 lilacs but 25,000. 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.)