Fragrant Breaks

Summer may be an unpleasant season of tropical conditions including terrific storms that can wreak havoc (the recent flooding tragedy in Texas being a prime and sad example). But Summer is also the season of vacation breaks from the drudgeries of our daily lives. When we think of vacations, we often think of trips to distant or new destinations. However, in these uncertain times, a trip to a distant location may not be financially viable. May I suggest a short trip not to some exotic (and often expensive) location but to a location that is calming, fragrant, and often colorful. That location is your local botanic garden in your own city or town. Most towns and cities have gardens that evoke calmness and serenity, which the ‘resorts’ often do not offer. Colleges such as Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges near Philadelphia also feature gardens and/or arboretums that are open to the public. I have added a new page, which consists of a gallery of photos I took of botanical sites through my years. The sites include the rose garden of Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia, Wave Hill in the Bronx, Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, and Roosevelt Park (in Philadelphia). Most of the gardens in a city can be reached via public transportation. Why create a carbon footprint and empty your wallet to drive a car to a destination and spend money getting gas for that drive?

In my new page of botanical sights, I inserted a photo of a large tree located at Haverford College (which has a lovey arboretum) awash in its orange color. I took that photo last October. I also inserted a photo of a tree shedding its orange/red leaves last November at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. If you don’t care much about Summer with its relentless heat and humidity, you can always look forward to Autumn, with its cooler temperatures and the colors that await your viewing at your local botanical garden or arboretum.