How does your garden grow?

Looking at the lovely images of Turks' Cap Lilies by Kerrdelune, reminded me of a day out, last year with some Dorset friends to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. There was an exhibition of Dale Chihuly's glass - large works of art scattered around the gardens and in the huge palm houses - growing out of the water, peeping out of the plants. Wonderfully organic and vibrant.

I grew up near by Kew Gardens, just on the other side of the River Thames in London. Once, during an early period of unemployment, my Life Long Friend from library school and I spent many hours in the Palm House. We sketched, and talked, and kept our sinuses moist and free, and talked, and admired the different textures and shapes of the exotic foliage, and talked, and generally kept warm in the cold grey English winter.

If you would have told me, I wouldn't have believed that years later I would be seeing such strange sights in those glass houses, or with such a lovely group of friends. Also, with the same Life Long Friend (hereafter known as the LLF) I visited the new Japanese garden at Kew, built around the Chokusi-Mon gate...... but that's another story!