THE SECRET TO A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN

A great summer read!

The secret to a beautiful garden lies in the perfect blend of colors and textures. The word itself "GARDEN" can be used to describe the "garden variety" the "garden salad" both of which suggest a perfect yet ordinary combination. To create such a thing one must experience many such gardens. Whether it be by visiting them or through anothers' eyes, the more you absorb the more you begin to see how each color and texture compliments the other. Santa Montefiore in her book "THE FRENCH GARDENER" describes with such grace and detail the perfect garden that one can feel and smell the earth while reading.....THE SUN HUNG LOW in the sky turning the clouds pink like tufts of cotton candy. Long shadows fell across grass already damp with dew. The air smelled sweet, of fertile soil and thriving flowers. Tiny dragonflies hovered in the still, humid air, their wings glinting in the light. The cottage was quaint, symmetrical with a tall roof that dwarfed the walls below it. It might once have been a barn or grain shed, positioned as it was in the middle of a field. The roof tiles were brown and covered in moss, the chimney leaning a little to the left. The top of the roof sagged slightly as if it had grown tired with age. Roses tumbled over the door where the paint had already started to peel. It looked sadly neglected, forgotten at the bottom of the garden by the river, hidden in a small copse. A fat pigeon settled down for the night, cooing lazily in the gutter, and a couple of squirrels scurried up a chestnut tree and crouched in the crook of a branch to watch her with suspicious black eyes.....she also goes on to say... the grass was already glittering with dew, the air moist and cool. They wandered through the trees in silence, listening to the whispering sounds of nature. "I love evening and morning best," said Jean-Paul, his expression settled once again into solemnity. "I love the transience of it. The moment you appreciate it, it is gone."   
Now that is the perfect description and explanation of a beautiful garden. Although neglected it continued to blend with nature and the beauty of it was captivating. The appreciation of the transience of the garden is vital to it's creation, because one must also realize that it will return.
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR SANTA MONTEFIORE