One man discovers that plants aren’t boring
I recently visited the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont with my wife.
I had proposed the idea a few days prior, but by the time we were preparing to go my enthusiasm had waned. I thought, “I don’t want to walk around and look at plants. How boring.”
Per usual, I was wrong. The gardens were surprisingly interesting and a perfect way to spend a summer morning. The botanical garden consists of 11 gardens that surround a winding trail. To compare the average suburban gardens to these gardens is like comparing a white-painted wall and Jackson Pollock’s “Lavender Mist.”
There’s a depth of thoughtfulness that includes not only color, but form and perspective.
The highlights:
The Allee Garden was my favorite part of the trip, because it has a tunnel fountain that shoots water over the path from one side to the other. The arcs of water easily clear the path, with a few wandering drops to elicit squeals from people who are walking underneath.
I walked through the tunnel three times, and it made me happy every time.
The garden also features The Orchid Conservatory. At 8,000 square feet and over four stories tall, the conservatory has an amazing array of tropical plants and orchids.
The botanical garden’s current exhibition, called ZimSculpt, consists of 100 outdoor sculptures and 200 smaller pieces from over 100 Zimbabwean artists. Two of the artists, Passmore Mupindiko and Aron Kapembeza, are on hand at the gardens to discuss their work.
The curator of the collection, Joseph Croisette, and his wife Vivienne give guided tours of the exhibit.
The artwork is handcrafted from hand-mined stones in the Serpentine family. The soft curves of the sculptures complement the flora that surrounds them.
The ZimSculpt exhibition will run until July 19.
Other options:
While simply walking through the gardens is a great, peaceful trip, those looking for more structured activity should check out the events at Daniel Stowe. Every Thursday night this summer, the establishment will host a special program with food, beer and wine. Sounds pretty romantic.
This story was originally published July 11, 2015 at 9:31 PM with the headline "One man discovers that plants aren’t boring."