The recent visit to Merlin’s Hollow, an English garden created by the Tomlinsons in Aurora, was truly delightful. The weather conditions were perfect, adding to the overall enjoyment of the experience. Regrettably, this visit marked the end of the season for us at Merlin’s Hollow.
Do not fret, as there is always next year to look forward to. With more flowers to capture and stories to hear, the possibilities are endless. During my visit on July 10, 2011, I was able to witness a new line of blooming flowers in the garden, which boasts over 1500 plant species. Despite only capturing about 50 of them, the experience was truly remarkable.
How many flowers do you have in your garden? Have you ever taken the time to count them? You may be surprised by how quickly they accumulate. As I pondered the question, I realized that I do indeed have flowers in my garden. In fact, I have six different species of perennials that grace various areas of my property. While I do not have a traditional garden per se, I take advantage of any available plot of land to sow seeds and cultivate blooms. Currently, my garden boasts an abundance of lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots, which provide a beautiful and fragrant backdrop to my outdoor space.
Due to my child’s adventurous nature and tendency to explore by picking and tasting things, I made the decision to remove certain plants from our garden. It came to my attention that Clematis flowers are toxic, prompting me to remove the vine for the safety of my child. Additionally, I once had a stunning plant with large, white, cone-shaped flowers, although I cannot recall its name. Unfortunately, the seeds of this plant were found to be hallucinogenic, leading to its eventual removal from our garden.
This plant also brought to mind a humorous incident that never fails to make me chuckle. Once, a woman from our neighbourhood attempted to pilfer some seeds from the plant. However, due to its tough, fibrous stem, she struggled to break it off. It was quite a sight to see her grappling with the plant, clearly determined to obtain the seeds.
I was tempted to step in with a pair of scissors to assist her, but I hesitated, not wanting to cause her any embarrassment. In the end, she managed to extract some seeds, albeit at the cost of damaging half of the plant. Such is life, I suppose.
“Mommy, look, look!” Matthew called out excitedly, pointing at something. I hurried over and saw a beetle struggling to climb up a flower stem. It had been ages since I had seen one so large. The poor thing was having a tough time, constantly slipping back down. I quickly snapped a few photos before it eventually flew away. It wasn’t until later when I looked at the pictures that I realized it was missing one of its arms.
During my second to last visit to the garden, Mrs. Tomlinson glanced at one of the photographs I had given her and smiled. “I just love the architecture, isn’t that amazing?” she commented. She was right. Each flower has its own unique design and structure. The patterns are distinct to each flower cone.
Flowers are stunning at every stage of their growth, even before they bloom. They are especially captivating when you take a closer look at them.
Interested in sparking your imagination? Do you see how it appears as though someone might want to take a bite out of the flowers in the two photos here, above and below?
What do you think about the colours? I’ve seen every colour of the spectrum and it’s pretty amazing. Just looking at purple or yellow flowers is beautiful, but if you take a closer look, you’ll see all the different shades of purple and yellow within them.
I hope you enjoyed this year’s photo gallery featuring some of the beautiful flowers from the Merlin’s Hollow garden. If you haven’t visited yet, I highly recommend checking it out next year. While pictures are nice, nothing beats seeing the real beauty in person.
Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden.
Robert Brault
Please assist me in identifying some of the flowers?
