All things botanical, Part 1

 

One of the best things to come out of a recent long visit by two of my Adorable Granddaughters (besides just the joy of having them close at hand after over a year of only Zoom contact) was my purchase of a membership to our wonderful Botanical Garden. Since I knew they'll be looking for outdoor activities, I figured, why not? As it turned out, my only regret was that I hadn't done this years ago—what a great place it is!

We actually made several visits, which is one reason for the "Part 1" in my title. These photos are from our first trip, when "Origami in the Garden" was their special theme. (They have an exciting new special exhibit theme up now, and I'll be showing you shots from that soon.) Various folding-paper-like sculptures were on view throughout the Garden, and made for some great photo opps.

There were some variations on the theme, too, like these colorful sculptures...

...and this tiny one, in the absolutely fantastic children's area that we discovered on our second visit...

Yes, the place has so much to offer, and all of it wonderful, that we had trouble seeing it all, even with all of our trips there! For example, we kept trying to find time to get into the glass conservatories that looked so inviting, but didn't make it there until our third visit (photos to come):

Although we did get to the Piney Woods section early on; it has a nice, shaded trail, and lots of examples of one of my favorite botanical features—cypress knees!

And we were able to make a quick admire-and-sniff tour through the impressive rose garden, as you can see at the top of the post and here:

Every color rose under the sun is on display here!

I'll close with one of the cute little playhouses featured in the children's area. If you ever have grandchildren visiting, you have to take them to this Garden!