In the Rain by Barbara Carvallo

I found these Ladies smiling in the rain. Goddess gave us Roses so we could know that true beauty is of the soul; true grace is of the heart; true dignity is of the mind. Blessed Be.

Welcome to the Colorado Shakespeare Gardens 7/29/17

Colorado Shakespeare Gardens

A WHISPER IN THE RABBIT HOLE by Peno Hardesty

lash flood waters recede slowly
dampness clings to the leaves
night comes 
amid the debris a stirring
leaves wet don't crackle
listen
where was the cure for smallpox
you hung her at salem
and heart disease
he was a german jew--you know what happened
and cancer
he was freed but then the klan caught him
autism
she drowned fleeing syria
where is the answer to peace 
it is in the heart of every one
buried beneath racism and religious intolerance
hidden beneath the guns and the fear of other
can you teach us
i tried
i tried to teach you
but you killed me

The Day Lily by Barbara Carvallo

The taxonomy of the day lily includes the following:

Kingdom – Plantae – plants
Division – Tracheophyta – vascular plants
Class – Magnoliopsida
Family – Xanthorrhoeaceae
Genius – Hemerocallis L. – the day lily

There are many species, a number of hybrids and dozens of cultivars.  They all share a common genetic foundation, a family in fact, and yet they are all different.  They have different sizes, different shapes, different colors, some scent and some don’t. In the garden of a day lily aficionado one might expect to find 50, 60, even a hundred varieties – they are as passionate as any rose grower.

The moral of this story of the day lily is that nature will not tolerate intolerance.  She mandates diversity.  As gardeners we can’t imagine a world where all flowers, trees, shrubs and grasses looked alike.  It is in the nature of gardeners to seek imperfect balance and perfect chaos because that is the definition of beauty. 

Gardening is a spiritual craft, a prayer planted in the soil, nurtured with the hand and heart and made manifest through good will and faith.  I have never understood the blindness that would rob the world of diversity that would make all flowers, trees, shrubs, grasses and people the same. Such sightlessness is spiritual suicide, prayer without hope, profound neglect, a corruption of the will and the antithesis of faith.

Behold the lovely day lily, Goddess’ testament to the magnificence of diversity.

Tea in the Garden by Barbara Carvallo

Welcome to the Colorado Shakespeare Garden

Europeana by Barbara Carvallo

Europeana is a very hardy, disease resistant floribunda rose.  Bushing round and tall with thick clusters of blooms so prolific as to often obscure the beautiful green foliage and bronze tinted new growth that surrounds them, this rose lasts the summer never daunted by the heat.  These velvety red roses hold a sweet tea scent.  Taken all together this is a perfect rose for the first time rose gardener.

A Riot in the Garden

I think formal gardens, although beautiful, are a sign of human hubris. Nature owes us nothing and shares everything with us. To constrain Her, to force Her into patterns and method is a step too far. Therefore, my gardens are chaos itself, color, scent, texture and size run riot. Blessed Be.