What better way to round out a week of Flower Show exploration than to return to the exhibit that struck me even as it was being built last week, stone by stone. The "Rose of Glendalough" by Celtic Gardens of Dexter, Mi., is still my favorite and judging by the comments of those around me, the favorite of many show-goers. The designers have created the haunting ruins of a small chapel. It's enveloped by unruly grapevines, the grass is a bit overgrown and the heavy country stones scattered about give it a lost and wistful look. But even in obsolescence, you're thinking, it's beautiful.
You can peek through the open doorway of the chapel to see a tree growing inside, one of many signs that Nature long ago moved in. The pink and yellow lilies, the scattered roses, a rugged water trough and a rusted water pump that leans - all signs that once this chapel bustled with villagers and animals.
This exhibit won the horticultural society's "Best in Show by invitation" and a couple of other awards. That's important. But I like it because it makes me daydream. I'm wandering through the woods and this is what I come upon.
