SUMMER RECALLS BUDS AND BLOSSOMS

 A green thumb is not one of my talents, but I do appreciate the loveliness of flower gardens and have done my share of exploring them around the world. Some of the more outstanding were Singapore’s famous Orchid Garden, and the amazing display of intricately shaped hedges outside Pattaya, Thailand. In sharp contrast to those beautiful sights was London’s Covent Garden which turned out to be no garden at all…just a huge flea market with street entertainers.

One of my best garden memories occurred many years ago at Longwood Gardens outside of Philadelphia, where I was privileged to attend the Shakespeare drama “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It was presented on the tiered lawn with high hedges concealing dressing rooms, and spouting fountains serving as the curtain. Decades later, that mystic memory was replayed at the Shakespeare Festival in my former California neighborhood, cleverly staged in the outdoor glen at UC Santa Cruz. Near the end, as the actors wandered through the darkening forest in search of each other, the Bay Area’s famous fog drifted eerily among the giant redwoods, creating an unforgettably realistic scene.

My favorite fun garden had no blossoms at all. It was a hedge maze on an estate in Denmark. I was visiting a friend, and we ventured into the tall hedges on a dare from her 11-year-old daughter. I love mazes, but this one was a real puzzle, and there was no way we could cheat by looking over the too tall ‘walls.’ If it wasn’t for the giggling of her daughter and companion, who found their way ahead of us with no trouble at all, I would still be wandering through the twists, turns and dead ends on that island in Denmark.

Twists and turns? Kind of reminds you of the Garden of Life.