May Meditations

A visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden last weekend was my inspiration for this month's "Meditations" post. Though not much of a gardener myself, I very much enjoy the handiwork of others and am enthralled by the beauty of a botanical garden. Unfortunately, I was so busy admiring the setting, plants, and the precious company of my daughter, that I neglected to take very many photos. But I managed to snap a few, so without further ado, enjoy.....

Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas
-Elizabeth Murray

The Chinese word for garden combines forms for soil, landforms, a well, and an enclosure plus
trees. It is generally interpreted as a man-made place for recreation containing three elements:
flowers, trees, fishpond; buildings; and, an artificial mountain.
-Chinese Landscape Gardening

Gardens are not created or made, they unfold, spiraling open like the silk petals of an
evening primrose flower to reveal the ground plot of the mind and heart of the gardener and
the good earth.
-Wendy Johnson, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center

To create a garden is to search for a better world. In our effort to improve on nature,
we are guided by a vision of paradise. Whether the result is a horticultural masterpiece or only
a modest vegetable patch, it is based on the expectation of a glorious future. This hope for the
future is at the heart of all gardening.
-Marina Schinz
And, finally, here is my meager attempt at growing something pretty: three varieties of succulents and sedum in an old birdbath, placed on top of a faux column pedestal...a no-fail perennial garden delight!

Have a great week, Friends.

Julie



Sharing with: Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life, The Scoop, Inspiration Thursday, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Sweet Inspiration at The Boondocks Blog, Between Naps on the Porch, Bella Rosa Antiques