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furstenberg park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – june 2020
what a beautiful welcome
the magnolia trees gave me
their path of petals
leading me back
into my quiet town
—
“you are welcome as the flowers in may.”
-charles macklin
even in the midst of the most challenging of times
the flowers never cease to bloom.
—
“can we conceive what humanity would be if it did not know the flowers?”
~ maurice maeterlinck
—
nectarine tree on a sunny day in sierra vista, arizona, usa
never
in spite of all efforts
have i been able
to keep an orchid alive
somehow
in spite of a pot cracked
on the very first day
and
fingers crossed
trying to care for it
this tiny orchid
has survived
even thrived.
a surprise new flower emerges.
—
“patience is the art of hoping.”
-luc de clapiers
ireland, summer 2016
“bees do have a smell, you know,
and if they don’t they should,
for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”
-ray bradbury – dandelion wine
—
summer 2018, ann arbor
what a wonderful afternoon
spent among the fields of lavender lane farm
at the lavender harvest festival
live jazz played in the field
bouquets were cut to take
soaps, and lotion, and oils purchased
a picnic
of freshly made french food
and lavender lemonade
enjoyed with friends
all while floating
on a wavy sea of purple.
–
“forgiveness is the smell that lavender gives out when you tread on it”
-mark twain
my peony tree bursts with june light.
—
“green was the silence, wet was the light
the month of June trembled like a butterfly.”
from 100 Love Sonnets by PABLO NERUDA
one of my favorite places to hike can be found right in the center of ann arbor, a place where i always return, the nichols arboretum. it’s a lovely, quiet, sweeping park where there is natural beauty to be found in any season. one of the most stunning displays is the blooming of the peony garden. unlike any i have ever seen.
the nichols arboretum peony garden is the largest public collection of historic (pre-1950) herbaceous peony cultivars in north america. the university and botanical gardens are currently in the process of rebuilding this historic garden to be an internationally significant, scientifically-documented and culturally interpreted living reference collection.
the garden, open since 1927, boasts more than 270 historic varieties of peony, cultivated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. nearly 800 plants are arranged in 27 beds at the arboretum’s peony garden, drawing flower lovers from across the region when they bloom each spring.
“flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
-luther burbank
—
a project of
“may: the lilacs are in bloom. forget yourself.”
― marty rubin
I didn't have my glasses on.... 