Experts think lilac tree dates to Gen. Schuyler

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A purple lilac tree near the historic Schuyler House on Route 4 may date back to before the Revolutionary War, according to archival evidence gathered by the National Park Service and local gardeners.

Gen. Philip Schuyler’s first country home was burned by the British during the Battles of Saratoga in 1777.

The American general built a smaller home near the same location after British Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered in the fall of 1777.

Mary Roberts of the Schuylerville Garden Club, which is co-sponsoring a special program on the lilac today, said it is “very, very possible” that a single lilac tree on the Schuyler property dates back to the time of Schuyler’s first country estate, which was built in 1766.

A book written by Anne Royall in 1824 describes a visit she made to the Schuyler House in 1797. She was shown the grounds by members of the Schuyler family, and notes that even after the 1777 fire there remained remnants of the old garden “with rose bushes and lilacs still fresh and green.”

The purple lilac, the Schuyler Estate Lilac, thought to be from the Revolutionary War period, is in the same location as drawings from this period showing the Schuyler lilac gardens, according to Gina Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Saratoga National Historical Park, which operates the Schuyler House and grounds.

During last year’s annual Gardener’s Weekend in Schuylerville, lilac expert Jeff Young of St. Albans, Vt., visited the Schuyler House and observed the old lilac tree. Young, who is the lilac curator at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vt., is returning today to tell the local garden club how to rejuvenate the old lilac.

“We will try to encourage it to send up shoots,” Roberts said. “This is in bad shape and needs some work.”

Roberts did extensive research on the Schuyler lilac and found a description of the lilacs on the Schuyler estate. She said the lilacs are the only plants “mentioned over and over” and its location is “consistent with archival evidence.”

“It’s just been an amazing project for me,” Roberts said.

If lilac expert Young, who is on the board of directors of the International Lilac Society, finds that the old lilac can’t develop shoots (smaller plants that come out of the ground near the old plant), then he will show the local gardeners how to take cuttings from the plant. These cuttings would be used to propagate new plants that would be raised for the Saratoga National Historical Park’s future use as well as planted in the village.

It could take as many as four years for the new descendants of the historic lilac to start blooming, Roberts said.

The Saratoga National Historical Park, the Schuylerville Garden Club and the Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce are collaborating for the next few years on the project to rejuvenate and propagate the historic lilac specimen under the guidance of Young.

Young’s visit is part of Schuylerville’s annual Gardener’s Weekend. The programs will start at 9:30 a.m. today and continue until 3:30 p.m. at the Youth Center in Fort Hardy Park, which is located at Route 29 and Ferry Street in the village.

At 1:30 p.m. a workshop will be held with Young at the historic Schuyler House property.

Young will explain how lilacs arrived in America from Europe, especially France, Germany, England and the Netherlands.

Roberts said Young will bring many other varieties of lilacs with him to sell. She said last year people bought out his entire stock because his lilacs are different from those varieties found in most local garden centers.