#i love you fish ponds i love you aquariums i love you tiny garden fountains i love you giant mall fountains i love you so much

[bigfrogsblog]

idk why water is so calming for me, its the only thing that can instantly ground me

[mmwm]

Welcome to day 20 of 28 Days of Have Heaven, a short month of posts about heaven, paradise, perfection and desire, perfect places, art, theology, gardens, and more, using the Enya song “China Roses” as a jumping off point. Each post will look at these elements in itself, which may not obviously connect with the others, and which may only peripherally be related. I won’t attempt to tie the posts together. They’ll all be listed here, as they are posted ________________________________________________________________

This post is doubling as my Wednesday Vignette post (though it will be much much more texty and imagey than a vignette), and I am taking as my subject Anna’s subject at Flutter & Hum, the host of WV: Anticipation, and not just anticipation but anticipation of the upcoming flower & garden show in my area (hers is this week in Seattle).

There is something indeed heavenly about the Boston Flower & Garden Show, this year from 13-17 March, in the middle of our snowy and cold New England winter. Sure, “Spring” is only a few days afterward, but since it’s chilly, muddy, snowy, and gusty through much of April and can even snow in May here in central New Hampshire, it’s literally cold comfort to celebrate Spring on 20 March (5:58 p.m. ET to be exact) … though the quality of light is already changing, a foretaste of warmer, brighter, longer days to come.

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This will be a bit tongue in cheek, because I don’t think of heaven as a proper place (more of a heterotopia, if I had to locate it), but as I anticipate attending the heavenly heterotopia of the Boston Flower & Garden show in a few weeks (Theme: The Beauty of Balance), let’s consider gardens in general and the flower show (which I’ve enjoyed for the past eight years) in particular in terms of (mostly Biblical) descriptions of heaven.

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

The Quran also speaks of mansiony elements — raised couches, cups, cushions, carpets — which are very well represented each year at the flower show:

“With their effort [they are] satisfied. In an elevated garden, wherein they will hear no unsuitable speech. Within it is a flowing spring. Within it are couches raised high and cups put in place and cushions lined up and carpets spread around.” (Q. 88:8-16)

In (permaculture) gardens, there are many garden beds and borders, which we prepare and nurture for plants, pollinators, fungi, soil critters, birds, reptiles and amphibians, et al., as well as other separate spaces like patios, decks, allées, sheds, croquet lawns, composting areas, greenhouses, barns, orchards, food forests, fruit guilds, annual vegetable gardens, herb spirals, water gardens and aquaculture, and so on. Whether compact or spacious, small or large, garden spaces serve as inviting homes for many resident and visiting species — very mansiony!

greenhouse and gardens at Steve Whitman’s, Plymouth NH, Sept. 2014

At the flower show are also, prepared for us, numerous abodes — patios, pools, treehouses, yoga spaces, cabins, sheds, outdoor kitchens, chickens coops, tiny houses, and gardens for all species, as well as cushions, chairs, and couches:

patio with chair and waterfall, 2013

lovely (and open to interpretation) rug, mossy sofa, Kirsten Van Dijk, 2015

Pine Harbor post-and-beam shed, 2015

yoga platform, 2011

house with entryway garden, 2012

patio including couches, 2013

patio with chairs, glasses, Magma Design Group, 2015

shed, Heimlich Nurseries, 2016

stone house with roof of evergreen, Maine Stonework, 2017

kitchen and bathroom in Jamaica Cottage tiny house, 2017

chairs, fire pit, patio, Oakwood Landscaping, 2017 (photo by spouse)

outdoor kitchen with grill, fridge, Oakwood Landscape, 2017

shed living, flower roof, topiary, Miskovsky-Haskell, 2018

little house, and patio, Oakwood Landscaping, 2018

teepee, Samantha’s Garden, 2018

couch and cushions inside teepee

And this, I mean, this is heaven!

2014

There are also mansions for insects and chickens:

Yard Birds chicken enclosure, Urban Homestead Pavilion, 2016

Smart Bee hive, Urban Homestead Pavilion, 2016

mason and other bee housing, 2017

And even a bocce ball court and Zen garden in this paradise:

bocce ball court and balls, 2013

zen garden, Joseph Gray Stonework-Pleasant View Gardens, 2018

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“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17).

Nothwithstanding that a little heat would be lovely right about now here, lots of garden structures — including pergolas, some lattices, canopies, gazebos, awnings — work to minimize summer sunlight.

pergola full of bees, Wave Hill, Riverdale, May NY, 2015

And from the Boston flower show in years past:

elaborate outdoor room with fabric canopy and drapes, floor covering, elegant furniture (and lots of Canary Island broom plants), Interiors by M.S. (Maria Sadeck), March 2014

pergola and fire pit, Oakwood Landscape, March 2017

The Bible mentions living fountains of waters and the heaven of the Quran is full of rivers, as well as “gardens of pleasure” (sometimes translated as “gardens of bliss”) and “gardens of perpetual residence” (also translated as “Gardens of Eden”):

“Beneath them rivers will flow in the Gardens of Pleasure. Their call therein will be, ‘Exalted are You, O Allah,’ and their greeting therein will be, ‘Peace.’” (Q. 10:9-10) and  “Those will have gardens of perpetual residence; beneath them rivers will flow.” (Q. 18:31)

Most gardens, private and botanical, have some kind of water feature, whether a bird bath; sandy, stony butterfly and dragonfly pool; fountain or waterfall; pond for ducks, fish, aquaculture, swimming, paddling around, or simply visual pleasure; creek or stream; reflecting pool; water garden; or wet-have-you.

Below, clockwise from upper left, from The Fells, Newbury, NH; Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, VA; Tarbin Gardens, Franklin, NH; Bedrock Gardens, Lee, NH; children’s garden, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA; Italian Water Gardens, Longwood; our garden, Waterboro, ME; tadpoles at Bedrock Gardens; and Heritage Museums & Gardens, Sandwich, MA.

And of course the Boston flower show is water-filled, just like heaven:

stepping stones, 2011

pool, Liquid Landscapes, I think, 2012

stone waterfall, 2012

EDEN by the Charles bridge and pool with koi, 2014

water wheel, Joseph Gray, 2015

goldfish in vertical aquarium, Rutland Nurseries, 2015

amusing spitting water sculpture, Joseph Gray Stonework, 2017

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“The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst” (Revelation 21:19-20).

Gardens may not typically be full of precious gemstones and jewels but the flowers, fruits, berries, and foliage therein are certainly jewel-toned and gem-coloured.

For the record, jasper is often red, due to iron content, though there is a rare greenish form; sapphire is usually a saturated blue; chalcedony usually has a soft blue or greyish white translucence; emeralds are a deep green; sardonyx is a flat-banded white, brown, and red stone; sardius (aka carnelian) is a brownish-blood red; chrysolite (aka peridot) could refer to either a yellowish-green sapphire or an olive-green tourmaline; beryl comes in many colours, and both emerald and aquamarine are beryls; topaz is yellowish brown in nature but can also be deep golden-orange, yellow, pink, red, and blue; chrysoprase is a translucent, bright apple or grassy green variety of chalcedony; jacinth (or hyacinth) is a blue stone; and amethyst (in Hebrew ahlamah, literally “dream stone”) is a violet-purple. (There is some question about the colour of a few of these in Biblical times; more info here.)

From Boston flower shows past:

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“The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21).

shimmery pearlyish masterwort (Astrantia major), in my garden, July 2017

Not a pearly gate but a beautiful ironwork one outside a garden in Charleston, SC:

The Boston flower show has gates!

lavender outside wall and gates, 2012

Newport Flower Show display, 2016

Chinese gate/garden, 2013

No gold or clear pathways that I have noticed, in any gardens or at the flower show, but still, lovely walkways abound (clockwise: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; Heritage Gardens, Sandwich, MA; Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA; Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, VA; The Mount, Lenox, MA; and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens):

At the Boston flower show, this Rutland Nurseries patio material, pearly shells, struck my fancy; I’d really prefer a shell, stone, or sand walkway to gold, even clear gold:

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“In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).

So, apparently there’s a tree that bears 40 different stone fruits, but one tree bearing twelve kinds is pretty cool, heaven.

The heaven of the Quran offers fruits too, and a non-intoxicating drink:

“Those will have a provision determined — fruits; and they will be honored in gardens of pleasure on thrones facing one another. There will be circulated among them a cup from a flowing spring, white and delicious to the drinkers; no bad effect is there in it, nor from it will they be intoxicated” (Q. 37:40-47)

Fruit tree guilds are a thing in permaculture gardening — my two peaches have been over-bearing, in the best way, the past couple of years:

Other friends, depending on where they live, grow lemons, limes, oranges, kiwis, lots of berries, pears, plums, apples, grapes. Public gardens grow fruits, too, all kinds, in greenhouses and conservatories, and outside as well; here is a smattering from Longwood Gardens (nectarines, figs, grapefruit), Bedrock Gardens, Lee, NH (Asian pears, espaliered apples), and Distant Hill Garden, Walpole, NH (red seckel pears):

The Boston flower show has skimped a bit on fruiting trees, though it usually showcases ornamental plums and similar and offers a fair number of veggie garden and herbal options. Below are a container garden with an orange, an espaliered apple, a semi-edible garden with a fig, and some cranberries that were part of an Ocean Spray display — a bit paltry:

The show could definitely improve in terms of heavenliness, Garden of Edenness, with more edible gardens and fruits. Maybe some nut trees and shrubs too? A 40-fruiting tree could solve the problem.

I wonder: Might the circulating cup of delicious and non-intoxicating drink spoken of in the Quran passage be this Pellegrino (from an eternal spring, obviously, not recyclable bottles), possibly enhanced with juice of the lemon or lime? (Probably not that rose’ wine just beyond …)

Oakwood Landscape display, 2017

  “There is more pleasure in making a garden than in contemplating a paradise.” — Anne Scott-James, English journalist and garden writer

Featured image: opalescent hellebore bloom, Heimlich Nurseries display, 2018

Write 28 Days: Have Heaven ~ Day 20 :: Anticipation Welcome to day 20 of 28 Days of Have Heaven, a short month of posts about heaven, paradise, perfection and desire, perfect places, art, theology, gardens, and more, using the Enya song "China Roses" as a jumping off point.

[lilianpad-blog]

Things I Love: A super long list

Parchment Paper

Sunsets

Peach-Pink

Peach-Pink Clouds

Laughing till your mouth hurts

Smiling till your mouth hurts

Good books

Perfect Test Scores

Dad’s Jokes

Chicken soup

Fresh Bread

Forget-Me-Nots

Lillies

Arctic Wolves

Fairy tales

Musicals

Playing the Ukulele

Getting a Clarinet piece perfect

Origami Stars

Drawing eyes

Police Boxes

Knitting

Harry Potter

Percy Jackson

My Family

Adventures

Travel

Wearing Swishy Dresses

Acorns

Chesnuts

Walnuts

Scissors that glide

Wildwood Chronicles

Costumes

Going to Wellington

Sharp pencils

Inky pens

Awards

Ted and his Scarf

Neat doll’s houses

Fantails

Sitting by the fire

Roasted Marshmallows

Bonfires

Grandma and Grandad’s Farm

Warming your hands by the toaster

Toast

Seeing old friends

Tight hugs

Singing

Writing

Bunny tails

Finding pipi in the sand

Ivy

Kittens

Cold, fresh air

Cold, fresh air when you can see your breath

Finding friends in the supermarket

New friends

The smell of bacon frying

Pizza

Little cousins

Compliments

Dainty necklaces

New babies

Nice Photos

Italy

The luge

Queenstown

Lake Taupo

Spongy soft grass

Blue glass

Double rainbows

Marbles

Ribbons

Sewing

Completing a hairstyle

My red bag

Fine-tip pens

New notebooks

New book smell

Old book smell

Lavender

Making tea

Successfully made dinner

Pancakes

Waffles

Maple syrup

Lemon Muffins

Bird-banding

Cleaning bird boxes

Ninja teddy

Good jokes

Teacher puns that everyone groans at but secretly loves

Inside jokes

Doctor who

Minimalist posters

New shampoo bottles

Homemade lemonade

Climbing trees

Pulling up carrots

Running in the sprinkler

Daisy chains

The Beach

Bodyboarding 

Spotting for water skiers

Rollercoasters

Scarves

Beanies

Gloves

Slippers

Trampolines

Foam pits

Deep brown eyes

Chocolate

Caramels

Vanilla

Getting a haircut

Yorkshire Terriers

Going to Elly’s house

My books

My bookshelves

Feathers

Quills 

Ink bottles

My Desk

My Dwarf coin

Good Movies

Getting work done

CY

Giant eagles

Waterfalls

Small streams

Forests

The smell of crumble

The taste of crumble

Crumble

Frothy Milos

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrant flavoured things

Dried runner beans

Tiny books

Libraries

When the library has the book you wanted

Just-brushed hair

People you can be crazy with

Soft hands

Swings

Slides

Flying Foxes (both kinds)

High ropes

Worried chihuahuas

Baby seals

Hedgehogs

Baby Hedgehogs

Owls

Written letters

invitations

Wollen blankets

Happy Couples

Choirs

Playing piano

Inside grand pianos

Writing in code

Painting

Playing spies

Giant origami

Fortunetellers

Fresh biscuits

Milk and chocolate chip biscuits

Favourite clothes

Getting cards

Presents for no reason

Bookstores

Tiny shoes

Giant mirrors

Castles

Ruins

Old houses

Pony Rides 

Horse Treks

Fairs 

Fireworks

Sparklers

Disneyland

Disney movies

Re-watching Disney movies

Brown paper bags

Old bibles

Finding things you lost

Getting lost then being found

Birds nests

Speckled eggs

Duck egg blue

Art class banter

Herb gardens

Rosemary

Chips and dip

Grandma’s christmas stuffing

Grandma’s blackcurrant pie

Christmas trees

Christmas stockings

Christmas decorations

Christmas eve

Staying up for new years

Skiing

Mountains

The desert road

Bouncy castles

Lambs

Fish ponds

Photo albums

Comfy beds after a long day

Reading 

Autumn colours

Red leaves

Capes

Warm coats

Spas 

Bush walks

England

Old-fashioned lolly shops

Arrowtown

Cathedrals

The royals

Bubble wrap

Card games

Good music

Cobblestone streets

Snow

Frozen puddles

The sound of rain on the roof

Being warm in a storm

Hot water bottles

Weddings 

Parties

April fools

Tricking the teacher

Round stones

Bottle caps

Badges

Moss

Rides on Grandad’s truck

Rowan berries

Holidays

Weekends

New Stationary

Stationary

Hardcover books

Pretty bookmarks

Foxes

Esplanade train rides

WOW shows

Playing in an orchestra

Getting stuck in the mud

Flower Crowns

Leaf Crowns

Garden mazes

Roses

Tiny ferns

Link handwriting

Bunting

Mini outdoor candles

Jazz band

Spinning chairs

Reading armchairs

Blanket forts

Treehouses

Nutmeg the bunny

Coronations

Royal weddings

Birthdays

‘I was thinking of you’ gifts

Advent calendars

New diaries

Red curly hair

Fountains

Bow and arrows

Thatched cottages

Little villages

Unexpected book shopping

Homemade cordial

Sticky date pudding

My brothers

The ECU

Finding that someone likes the same thing as you

Lace 

Model villages

Giant goldfish

Watching waves

Aquariums

The chronicles of Narnia

Blossom trees in bloom

Freckles

4 leaf clovers

The weta cave

Flower fairies

Snapdragons

A midsummer night’s dream

Icy blue eyes