I don’t know that I would have pushed the “publish” button on “They Ride the Trains” had I not been under the (yes, completely self-imposed) pressure of July’s NaBloPoMo daily deadline. There have only been a few posts I have been afraid to publish and that was one of them.
“They Ride the Trains” was also my 300th post. So, yay?
On a much, much lighter note…
My mother-in-law is quite possibly one of the best gardeners in our state. Mid-summer, when both her dahlias and roses are in their full splendor, I like to wander around her backyard and glory in the thousands of blooms, bees and butterflies. It is a bit of a secret garden, and it sometimes saddens me that the public is not able to wander her rows and rows of blossoms, drunk on the scent of double delight roses and dazzled by the perfectly symmetrical origami-like visual wonders to be found in every corner.
Dahlia Heaven
Someday, Esperanza will come and take the photos this garden deserves. Until then, here’s my record.
Do you enjoy gardening? Are there specific gardens you enjoy touring?
Origami
The Whole Picture
Too Many Fish to Fry 
Yay for self imposing deadlines!
Those flowers are beautiful. My mother’s night blooming cereus bloomed for the first time in the years she’s had it last week.
That flower you titled Origami is GORGEOUS! Wow.
That is a beautiful garden! I like, but don’t love, gardening. We inherited a nice garden from the former owners of our house when we moved here last summer. So I have enjoyed seeing it bloom this year and am in the process of learning how to care for the various plants and flowers. It definitely has peaked my interest in gardening. One of my favorite gardens is located in a suburb just north of Chicago, called the Botanic Gardens. Its a beautiful place that has so many gorgeous flowers and plants, including a rose garden, a Japanese garden and other themed gardens. I went there more when I still lived north of the city. But this reminds me that I should try to take my kids there sometime this summer, as they have a nice children’s sensory garden there too, if I recall correctly.
I would like to get drunk on the scent of that garden.
Gorgeous!
Oh I love dahlias! Absolutely beautiful! We finally have a landscaped yard instead of bushes and we planted a whole bunch of things that will look nice year round. Next year when everything is settled I am going to try and really garden.
I love gardens and, once a garden is in place, I love taking care of it. I am struggling to rehab our yard and gardens right now.
Those pictures you shared are heavenly.
those dahlias! that purple-peachy one, oh my, I want to lay down in a bed of those.
I like gardens. I do not particularly like gardenING. I like the results, but not the upkeep. I just don’t have the time. Or, perhaps more correctly, it’s just not a priority for me, not right now. Some years I will half-heartedly put in a few flats of impatiens & petunias; other years (like this year) nothing gets planted. I figure so long as we keep the lawn mowed & pull a few weeds now & then, we’re doing all right. My parents & grandparents were all big gardeners, & sometimes I feel guilty about that, but then they didn’t have the commute and hectic lifestyle that dh & I do (even though we don’t have kids & they did).
If you are ever in Victoria, British Columbia, you must go to the Butchart Gardens. Pricey, but well worth the visit!