Yesterday, I spent the morning at Mounts Botanical Garden, and I couldn’t have picked a better day. Okay, it could have been cooler, but there was lots of sun and a breeze.
Actually, I was in the garden to do some research and planning. I have been a volunteer tour guide there since 2014. I was heavily involved in setting up the program for school group tours. As the garden’s educational program has expanded, with staff to direct those tours, I’ve led adult group tours. These are generally garden clubs, community groups, and the like.
We’ve never offered tours to the general public. That, however, is going to change, and the special programs director says that it’s going to be “your (meaning me) baby.” The plan is for me to lead a 45-minute tour twice a month. I was asked to come up with ideas for themed tours, and I’m having so much fun, brainstorming ideas. Yesterday, I was focused on plants in the garden that are among those in Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws. That’s definitely going to be an interesting tour.
But of course I took time to simply enjoy being in the garden. I spent a little time sitting in two of my favorite quiet spots—there’s another tour idea, the peaceful garden—and roamed through the remains of the vegetable garden. Since our seasons are backwards from what most people are used to, they’re surprised when they find the vegetable patch overgrown and looking abandoned right now. But in another month or so, they horticultural staff and volunteers will be busy planting. Right now, though, I found a couple leftover pepper plants with ripe fruit.
Eggplant is one of the few vegetables that will produce during the summer, and there were a number of fruit at various stages.
Although I didn’t see any butterflies in the butterfly garden, they were busy flying around flowers elsewhere.
I had never seen a Great Southern White butterfly before. The photo doesn’t show it, but it actually had a bit of a blue tinge. I was mesmerized.
The former garden curator used to tell me that she knew the garden was my happy place. It still is.
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