Kiss the Earth

Ah, to be a Longwood lady, to have an uncluttered day to wander the paths of this endless garden. I was there yesterday on assignment - I know, it's tough! - and enjoyed many things. The topiaries, for one. I'm not a big fan of small topiary shrubs but these are enormous and very atmospheric, especially with the kids running around giggling. For a minute there, I thought for sure I was in a Merchant/Ivory film minus the great wardrobe.

Then there were the hydrangeas. Now these, I love - all types and colors. One of my favorites was the bigleaf hydrangea 'Tokyo Delight,' a startling rose color, that was planted next to 'Apple blossom' snapdragons with long stems and huge flowers. They were exactly the color of apple blossoms - fresh pink and mint green. What a combination!

The lilacs were blooming and sending their sweet scent over the lawns and the fountains were putting on a show for a group visiting from India. Those folks were paying close attention. Can't say the same for a couple sitting on a bench. Technically they were facing the fountains but their eyes were locked on each other. Ah, spring.

Some of us looking at the swaths of foxglove and sweet broom and bluebells were laughing about how, sure, if we had gazillions of dollars to spend on huge quantities of everything, our gardens would look pretty spectacular too. But we don't, and that's why we love to visit places like Longwood.

It's been a few months since I'd visited. It's great to see the changes each new season brings and to be reminded of two things. One, that we have some of the finest public gardens in the world in this region. And two, when I finally am a Longwood lady, I'll have lots to see in my many hours of free time.