It is with a sense of pleasure and gratitude that I have undertaken to write about a special place. That special place is, “The Waltz Garden”. Yes, it is a real place and one that is open to be visited online. 1 By the generous leanings of Catherine, Alexander, and Francesca you can enjoy this place of diverse reasons, to once again, revive the belief in magic. The Waltz Garden is a place of magic.
In the post prior to this, we had the chance to hear The Waltz Garden speak unhindered. Perhaps, it is simply wiser to let the beauty of a garden speak to us, without us speaking back to it; simply be present to listen. You might wish to go through that journey of chosen instances and then the entire chronology of this beautiful, magical place.
However, if you have decided to stay along to read a few of my thoughts about the place – The Waltz Garden – might I suggest that we have some music along the way? This is the same music I have been listening to while writing this piece.
The uniqueness of the Waltz Garden
Every garden is a different place. You can understand that. Even though there may be the same flowers, apparently a similar soil, and the very same expanse of the limitless sky overhead, what happens in each garden is quite unique. It comes to be so that at first glance, quite a few gardens may look just the same. However, as you venture in, you see the landscape. When you appreciate the view of those who have cultivated the garden, then surely, one acquires a renewed sense of recognizing the uniqueness of that place. With the Waltz Garden, though, it seems like you don’t have to go through any comparisons or the trouble of experiencing a sense of sameness from elsewhere. It just is an outstanding place. Words like freedom, generosity, joy, pleasure, peace, serenity, and natural beauty so readily come to mind that you finally – and rather quickly – think: Yes, there is magic in this place. 2
The time, the location, and the feeling
The personality of a garden is, very much, a reflection of those who have helped it grow. A garden is a place that is alive. Quite like a person, a garden, too, expresses itself by the time of the day, the place one finds oneself in, and the feeling one has and that which the garden evokes. The Waltz Garden, too, has that effect.
1. The time
Yes, the time of the day when you find yourself in the garden, makes a difference. Throughout the day, as the Sun travels in the sky overhead, or is on other days accompanied by a few clouds, the garden is responding. In its silence, it is always alive. The Waltz Garden (isn’t that a beautiful name?) is also such a responsive garden. So, in the morning, it is there to greet and welcome after it has rested and rejuvenated through the night. What one has left behind, is surely the same, and yet changed by the time light and shadows start to play at dawn, and then, at dusk. Even the birds and insects would know this! Perhaps, those exhibit a keener sense than we do at times.
2. The location
As you get to know more about The Waltz Garden, you would come to know of its memorable highlights. There is a pond, there is its cluster of trees, a section with the steps from which tiny blossoms are emerging, and so much more. Each of these in isolation has a message of its own. However, while each of these has its stationary location, those moving within the garden have the ability to connect them together. So, it comes to be that a patch of Daisies has spoken with the Forsythia, or the Quince has sent a message to the Fritillaries. And in this communication, one listens to anyone of them, and then, one also listens to this beautiful harmony. This is the evergoing Waltz of The Garden. Could anyone ever get tired of this beauty!
3. The feeling
Of course, there’s a difference between the labor spent for a garden, and then, the reward it yields. However, from the preliminary sight of the newly raked soil to the flourishing of its plants and trees, there is always a reason for happiness. There is happiness in the work, and there is happiness in the rest one gets after the work is done. And, while a viewer may go through very many different feelings, a garden – especially in its season – is always speaking of tranquility, of joy. So, the feelings of the garden are enough to cast aside whatever feeling otherwise one may be experiencing. Such is the positive power of nature.
It would only be fair to have some thoughts again from The Waltz Garden now. It sheds light on the history and the passion that goes into this magical place.
Isn’t it just lovely to hear! There is the joy of learning, artistic expression, a sense of adventure, and most surely, the pleasure for the perceptions.
A reason for pleasure, The Waltz Garden, has become for many
I only became aware of this garden quite recently. It hasn’t been even a few months. But, even those early impressions from a passing glance were quite enjoyable; really satisfying. The Waltz Garden has beckoned and invited very many visitors over-and-over again for its charm, its magic, its lavish beauty.
In a conversation, from not so long ago, I was able to sincerely convey this to the Garden’s owners: “Your garden has a great personality. Its simplicity, trueness, and enthusiasm stand out among the many gardens I see. It is, as though, nature has been let free in this “space”. Thank you. And, please, continue to take care.” And so much appreciation and requests for gardening advice have obviously poured in from a multitude of observers, over the time before and since after.
Can a person get used to a garden?
I think this is one of the misconceptions that if you have become familiar with the landscape and the composition of a garden, you will simply tire of it. Of course, one can get used to the garden in being familiar with the location of its Sunflowers, the Zinnias, or its pond, but that does not ever mean being used to it in the sense of acquiring boredom. The boredom comes from something lacking in the human spirit, not in the spirit of the garden. The Waltz Garden has a beautiful spirit. With its changing times, internal locations, and feelings, it also has its copious diversity. Yes, diversity is another significant word one must think of when observing The Waltz Garden.
It is really my wish from the writing of this piece, that those who read it come to think of The Waltz Garden as having a permanent place among the gardens they know of. That they come to think of it as unique. By no means has this garden reached its zenith. It is still growing, still changing, and has so much more to offer. There is that promise in that magical place. There is that potential. And, even years from now, it is my wish that visitors, both old and new, would continue to express their admiration and their derived satisfaction from this real place.
The mistake one can make is to think, that as the days pass by, the garden and its memories pass away with it. No, but that is just not true. One can always go back to the records, be they written down, digitally stored, or simply given a place in the hearts and minds of the visitors. I feel, quite certainly, that though we live in a time when everything seems transient, there are eternal powers of nature, such as those expressed in a garden that must abide with us. Human beings are endowed with a special admiration, a sense of understanding, the creative faculties that allow us to enjoy nature in a way that other creatures with keener senses cannot. We can always be grateful for what we are endowed with; with the chance, we have been given!
Some closing thoughts
In conclusion, I would like to remember an advice from one of the key contributors to The Waltz Garden, by the 9-year-old Francesca. She says: “Be generous!” This, she said, while working alongside Alexander. I suppose this generosity is one of the secrets to the beauty of that place.
Yes, The Waltz Garden, is a real place. It is a beautiful place of magic! My best wishes to this beautiful garden and those who tend to it.
Footnotes
- Please, find The Waltz Garden on Twitter @WaltzGarden. Thank you!
- People have inquired, where the Waltz Garden is situated? Well, though you won’t see it mentioned very often, it is in the English county of Shropshire. Some useful information about Shropshire, taken from Wikipedia is, as follows: Shropshire (/ˈʃrɒpʃər, -ʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops; demonym Salopian /səˈloʊpiən/ sə-LOH-pee-ən, is a landlocked county in England, bordering Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, and Worcestershire and Herefordshire to the south.