Lilacs have been a source of inspiration for artists throughout history; Impressionists Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet both made famous paintings depicting the beauty of lilacs. Lilacs are ubiquitous both within curated gardens and in the wild. Lilacs have a deep-rooted history originating in ancient Greek mythology. It was said that Pan, the god of forests and fields was hopelessly in love with a nymph named Syringa. One day he was pursuing her through a forest and, afraid of his advances, she turned herself into a lilac shrub to disguise herself. To Pan’s surprise, he could not find Syringa, but he did find the shrub. Because a lilac shrub consists of hollow reeds, he cut the reeds and created the first pan pipe. The scientific name for lilac is Syringa vulgaris, and the name is derived from the Greek word “syrinks” which means pipe.