Susan's Homeschool Blog

One of my favorite places to go in the spring is to my local botanical gardens. My children enjoy seeing the buds come out on the trees and the sprigs of green pushing up out of the soil. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and it feels good to breathe in the fresh air after a long winter.

A large pond with waterfowl is surrounded by weeping willows and pink blooming hawthorn trees. My husband and I saw an osprey swoop down and catch a fish out of the water, later settling into the high branch of a tree. My children tried to touch the ducks, who soon ran away, realizing we had not brought any bread. We walked around the pond, pausing as the children noticed new birds or plants. I held my husband’s hand and smiled.

Our botanical gardens include a conservatory, which is an indoor garden with glass windows. This garden is already profusely growing in all directions because it has survived the winter, probably with air climate control. A couple of short bridges cross an artificial stream, which begins with a low waterfall. The sound of the splashing waterfall is tranquil and lovely. Orchids thrive in all their elegant beauty, along with many other types of flowers and cacti. Plants overlap the path low to the ground, and more flowers cascade off the trees overhead. The conservatory almost makes you feel like you’re in a jungle.

A Japanese garden is carefully manicured, with clipped trees and bushes that remind you of bonzai trees. A medium-sized pond holds large fish swimming around, and a waterfall completes the scene. A few benches intersperse the beautiful enclosed landscape. This would be a perfect place to sit, sketch, and watercolor nature. The trees, plants, and shrubs are reflected peacefully in the water of the pond.

To enjoy more pictures of the botanical gardens, click here.