As I wait out the waning days of winter, my mind blooms with images of one of the things I enjoy most about spring and summer — the beautiful gardens. Not that I personally have ever been able to achieve one, but I’ve long admired the horticultural work of others. Beginning with my two grandmothers.
With so much yard to offer, my paternal grandma’s country garden was a no-touch zone, a large swatch of riotous colour just several giant steps from the barn. While we enjoyed the colours and fragrances, my cousins and I knew the boundaries and opted to spend our time dallying with the fish in the pond, rather than risk stepping where young feet were not meant to tred.
My mother’s mother on the other hand, opened the garden gate for us to explore. Surrounded by a periphery of glads, peonies, exotic roses and morning glories, we learned to sidle along the paths between the kaleidoscopic blending of hues and textures, and gingerly tiptoe between the rows of the centre vegetable plot. This garden was no secret, but it was one of our favourite places to be.
Every year as the days warm I look forward to seeing the floral displays that grace flowerbeds and backyards, and wonder why, with the green thumbs of my grandmothers, I didn’t even manage a fingernail with a tinge of that colour. Whereas those two women with little planning created beauty beyond imagination, I can imagine what I like, but it never seems to work as I plan.
So with spring in view, whether, like me, you’re looking for inspiration or if you’re in need of photos to promote the gardening season these links will take you to some fabulous collections for both purposes:
iCLIPART.com Garden and Flower Photos
Acclaim Images Flower Garden Photos
Huffington Post World’s Most Stunning Gardens
