Today was my first time visiting the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Because we are members of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, we have a reciprocal membership with other participating gardens. This is a great perk and having a membership supports the work of the gardens. The garden occupies 52 acres in central Brooklyn near Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. There is so much to see here. The garden has a number of specialty gardens including a Japanese Hill-and-Pond garden, Water Garden, Rose Garden, Native Plant Garden, and a Fragrance Garden just to name a few. The weather today was extremely hot and humid, and we were grateful to find shaded paths along the way. There are hidden benches tucked away beneath the trees in the romantic, Shakespeare Garden too where we could sit for a moment to cool off. We had a wonderful day exploring, and I can’t wait to come back again to see more.
Today was my birthday and if I’m not hiking on this day, I’m usually at Descanso Gardens doing my photography. My husband and I had a lovely walk around the garden this morning and then breakfast at the Maple café. I can tell the seasons are getting ready to change. I’ve been coming here since 2010 and can see the subtle changes in the light, the plants, the smells. I can feel a hint of autumn in the air even though the weather is still warm. Also, in mid to late August, the spiders make themselves known. It’s as if they’re making themselves visible to let it be known that the wheel of the year is turning towards the darker days. It’s a wonderful time of year. I love liminal times and I’m always excited for autumn. It’s my favorite season.
Today was a beautiful day to visit Descanso Gardens. As always, it was full of magic. Hellebores were blooming and the daffodils were right on schedule. It’s such a fairytale-like feeling walking through the camellia forest. What a wonderful Sunday morning!
I had the day off on Friday so I headed out to Descanso Gardens to do some photography and catch the tail end of the tulip bloom. I haven’t been getting there nearly as much since we started hiking every weekend, but I did want to at least check out the spring bloom. Here are just a few photos from my trek around the gardens. Not nearly as many images as I took last year when we had the big super bloom, but still very pretty and always an enjoyable way to spend an hour or two.
As the wheel continues to turn, August 1st marks the halfway point between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. At this time of year, my home garden is full of blooming flowers and an abundance of butterflies. It’s a beautiful time of year and I’ve been blessed by the nature spirits with a modest, but healthy wildlife habitat for hummingbirds, butterflies and other critters who have been enjoying the garden. With Lughnasadh only a few days away, I paid a visit to my favorite magical garden, Descanso. I walked down the promenade and made a quick pass through the rose garden. But I spent most of my time in my favorite section, the native plant the garden. Here is where you can best appreciate the warm tones of summer with the buckwheats starting to brown and the intoxicating fragrance of sage. I also found many spider webs nestled in the trees. It is this time of year when I usually begin to see more intricate webbing in the oaks. They know the days are slowly beginning to shorten, and although it is still hot, the summer will soon be coming to a close.
We've now reached the peak of the solar year. The wheel is turning and the days, although warmed by the power of the sun will gradually become shorter as it begins to wane. For those in tune with nature, we hear her whispering her promise to return to darker days. But there is plenty to celebrate at this time. The natural world is full of activity. Butterflies and bees grace our blooming gardens and the earth changes her colors to shades of golden yellow, bright orange and soft, sable brown. Summer is in full swing and there is much time to be spent outdoors enjoying the warmth of the sun by day and gazing at the endless stars in the night sky.
