One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through.

German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education-and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda's driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife.

Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington garden and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person's simple gifts of beauty make a difference? Based on the life of Hulda Klager, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a story of triumph over an impossible dream and the power of a generous heart.

One woman, an impossible dream, and the faith it took to see it through. 
 
German immigrant and farm wife Hulda Klager possesses only an eighth-grade education—and a burning desire to create something beautiful. What begins as a hobby to create an easy-peeling apple for her pies becomes Hulda’s driving purpose: a time-consuming interest in plant hybridization that puts her at odds with family and community, as she challenges the early twentieth-century expectations for a simple housewife. 
 
Through the years, seasonal floods continually threaten to erase her Woodland, Washington garden and a series of family tragedies cause even Hulda to question her focus. In a time of practicality, can one person’s simple gifts of beauty make a difference? 
 
Based on the life of Hulda Klager, Where Lilacs Still Bloom is a story of triumph over an impossible dream and the power of a generous heart.
 
"Beauty matters… it does. God gave us flowers for a reason. Flowers remind us to put away fear, to stop our rushing and running and worrying about this and that, and for a moment, have a piece of paradise right here on earth."

After 26 years living on Starvation Lane on a remote ranch in Oregon, Jane Kirkpatrick and her husband, Jerry, moved back to Bend, Oregon where they'd lived years before.  Two dogs and a formerly outdoor cat made the transition well as they begin a new life next to a lily pond instead of the John Day River. Where Lilacs Still Bloom is Jane's twenty-second book, her nineteenth novel. She has two lilacs from Hulda Klager’s garden.

Kirkpatrick's (The Daughter's Walk) latest work, a fictional account of real-life gardener Hulda Klager, was inspired by the German immigrant who came to be known as the Lilac Lady from Woodland, Wash. Beginning with her pursuit of a better baking apple, the book chronologically follows Klager's horticultural enterprises, most notably her creation of more than 250 distinct varieties of lilacs. Kirkpatrick's research ferreted out a woman who worked diligently, and in relative obscurity, simply for the love of her craft. Sadly, Klager's accomplishments were entwined with deeply personal tragedies, told with as much historical accuracy as possible. Her family's misfortunes and heartbreaks serve to reinforce Klager's belief in the value of ornamentals, but some readers may not sympathize with a woman who seems to care more for plants than for her family or their finances. In addition to Hulda's family members, additional characters join the story at random intervals, making the character listing at the front of the book most helpful in reminding readers who is who. Told primarily in Hulda's voice, the book meticulously explains her means and methods; however, the horticultural detail might tire those readers who are not flower fanatics.. (Apr.)2012 Reed Business Information

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