Studio39Designs

 

Peaceful Place

There are times when I just need to get back close to nature, in order to renew my spirit.  I’m lucky to have a great place to do that fairly close to home.  What makes this place even more special is that it’s only available for a few months each year, and only on the weekends.  It’s a nursery in the small town where I live, and this garden is what I think of as a Secret Garden.  It’s not advertised, and it’s not even apparent that there is a garden hidden away when you first enter the nursery.  However, after one visit to it, you’ll never forget it.  I was lucky enough to visit it this past weekend…..

Petunia Fountain

Every time I visit this garden, I notice something new and wonderful.  Today, it was this birdbath that has become a sort of fountain with petunias overflowing the rim.  I especially love the lushness of the greenery surrounding it.  Hard to believe this is in the middle of New Mexico!  Looking at this, I was reminded of the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, where we visited earlier this year.  It’s the same sort of lushness that was everywhere in the cemetery.  I was so taken with this image, I decided to also convert it to a watercolor image (see below).  I couldn’t decide which one I liked more, so I thought I’d share both with you.

Petunia Fountain – Watercolor

Waterlily Bud

Another place I truly love in this garden is a lovely pond that’s sort of tucked away.  On the morning that I visited, I didn’t see any waterlilies in full bloom, but I did notice this little beauty, just sort of peeking out at me.  I love its reflection in the water, and the sort of small pool of water sitting on a nearby pad.

Pond Reflection

As I wandered around the pond, I came upon this spectacular view, peeking out from some weeping willow trees that are along the pond.  You can see the lily pads are the far side of the pond, and all the trees that sort of hover over this watery jewel of the garden.

Hostas

When I lived in the Midwest, I loved hostas.  They are generally rather a shade loving plant, so I didn’t really think I’d ever find them growing in New Mexico, but in this garden, anything is possible!  Here is a row of them, growing just as happy as can be!

Enjoy!