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ILS 2025 Annual Convention, Kent Ohio

‘Lilacs Past and Present’

The 2025 convention will occur at the Wolcott Lilac Gardens in Kent, OH.  The Wolcott Lilac Gardens is a home built in 1863 by Simon Perkins Wolcott, a noted politician and civic leader.  Although there were some gardens initially, it was not until Duncan Wolcott (son of Simon) married Daisy Lodge in 1906 that the infamous lilac gardens began to take shape.  Duncan and Daisy were both avid gardeners and set out to build one of the finest home gardens in the area.  The Wolcott’s garden was far from a formal garden, it was more of a series of rambling paths, terraces, stone walls as well as grassy lawns and flower beds.  

They purchased additional property to expand the gardens and continued to add new and unusual trees, shrubs, and flowers.  In 1920 the ‘Lilac Gardens’ began to take shape when Daisy received a gift from her uncle, Col. William R. Plum.  At the time, Col. Plum owned the largest collection of French lilacs worldwide, and he sent more than 100 different cultivars for her garden.  The Wolcotts carefully tended their lilacs and added more as time went on.  When Duncan died in 1930, Daisy opened the gardens to the public.  The gardens attracted visitors from around the world.  It became a Mother’s Day tradition to visit the Lilac Gardens and at one time had 8000 visitors in one day.  Daisy passed away in 1955 and her sons maintained the gardens for a few years until eventually selling the property.  The home and gardens came upon difficult times and fell into disarray.

In the fall of 1985, Steve and Eleanor Zavodny purchased the property and set out to restore the estate.  At the time, only 70 lilacs remained.  The original gardens were cleared of overgrowth and azaleas and rhododendrons were planted.  A rose garden with a central fountain was also added.  After the passing of Steve in 2007, Eleanor and her son Robert continued the restoration of both the home and the gardens.  It’s a labor of love and far from complete.  Robert assumed ownership after the passing of his mother in 2016.  Robert is excited to show off this English style garden that now has over 300 different lilac cultivars.

The convention will also include visits to Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens and Secrest Arboretum.  The Stan Hywet estate was built between 1912 and 1915 for F. A. Seiberling, co-founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and his wife, Gertrude Ferguson Penfield Seiberling. They named their "American Country Estate" Stan Hywet, loosely translated from Old English meaning "stone quarry" or "stone hewn," to reflect the site's earlier use and the abandoned stone quarries located on the grounds of the Aveill Dairy estate.  The manor house is 64,500 sq ft and one of the largest homes in the United States.

Frank and Gertrude Seiberling hired three professionals to shape the outcome of their home building project: Boston landscape architect Warren Manning, New York City interior designer Hugo Huber and Cleveland architect Charles Sumner Schneider. 

Secrest Arboretum is a 110-acre botanical garden managed by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. It mission is to serve as a living resource for education, research, and outreach to Ohio’s horticulture industry and residents. Secrest’s documented plant collection features over 3,500 different types of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials, exhibiting the diverse range of plants suitable for outdoor cultivation in Northeast Ohio. 

Mark DeBard will also offer an open garden on Wednesday May 1st prior to the convention and also on Sunday May 5th after the convention.  Mark’s home and garden is located in Columbus, OH which is about a 2 hour drive from the host hotel.  Mark’s collection contains over 180 different cultivars 

Other notable attractions in the area include the Pro Football Hall of Fame (for the sports fan), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (for the music fans) and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park just to name a few. 

Those looking to attend can fly in or out of Akron/Canton Airport (CAK) or Cleveland (CLE).  Thom and Bob will offer some pick up/drop off on a first come first serve basis.