Show me a garden ...

"Show me a garden that's bursting into life."
-- Snow Patrol

I know it's supposed to be uncool to like songs popular enough to actually be played on radio and particularly those that appear on a Grey's Anatomy season finale ... But there's a reason songs endear themselves to people ... and no one's ever accused me of being cool. I kinda like Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars, particularly the line above. It's one of those lyrics that I saved somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain for future inspiration. ... That vision, of a garden bursting into life is one I carry with me as I transform my little yard into a secret garden ... The 427-step transformation process began yesterday and will continue indefinitely.

Speaking of secret gardens, this tile, which I just realized I forgot to sign, is in a secret garden of it's own ... Holland Garden Center at 1035 SE 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale. In the cottagey little bathroom, there's a wicker shelf, and it had a spot just big enough for that tile. So there it went.

Every plant here looks like it's loved and is thriving as a result ... It's like the garden that has already burst into life .... As an added bonus, tiny baby kittens are wandering freely. ... As far as I can tell there aren't that many nurseries here in South Florida, and I always wondered how they can continue competing with giants like Home Depot or any of those big retail chains with garden centers ... It must be especially hard, given the economy and water restrictions etc.

But a lot of the prices here were on par with Home Depot, only the plants looked much healthier. Walking through this place was just the garden inspiration I needed for the day ... and I'll definitely be returning there more. I also dug a book out of my drawer that I started reading awhile back and now plan to finish. It's called the Secret Life of Plants: A fascinating account of the physical, emotional and spiritual relations between plants and [people].

Gotta go. The garden's calling.