Gardens are sanctuaries in these times of grave uncertainties and bitter divisions in Daydreaming on the Porch

Aug. 2, 2025, 8:50 a.m.
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Public

The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.

Dorothy Frances Gurney

The above quote appears at the entrance to Magnolia Gardens

Someone once wrote: There are places in this world that seem to exist outside of time—places where the ceaseless noise of modern life falls silent, where the soul finds room to breathe. The garden is such a place. It is more than a collection of plants; it is a threshold, a liminal space where the veil between the seen and unseen grows thin. In its shifting light and secret shadows, the garden whispers of other worlds—timeless, sacred, enchanted. This is the garden known only to the heart, to the child, to the poet, to the dreamer. A hidden place.

In these fearful times of global turmoil and uncertainty, when the news seems to get worse and more horrible each day, I do what I can in my limited way, I keep informed, I try to step back, and then when things verge on unbearable and the whole human race seems to be hurrying rapidly toward some cliff to hurtle over, I know I can always retreat to one of the many gardens in the Charleston area. There I am guaranteed to find quiet and beauty among the paths and flowers that fill Magnolia and Hampton Park Gardens year round. The other gardens at Middleton Place, Cypress Gardens and Charles Towne Landing are most beautiful in Spring when the azaleas blooms, and in the winter months with the magnificent varieties I
of ancient camellias in bloom.

How many times have I turned off a busy highway to immediately enter the peace and tranquility of Magnolia Gadens. I have been going there to admire the timeless beauty of that venerable garden for more than 40 years. It is always a different place every time I visit, depending on the season.

I have gone back in my Flickr archive to present some of my favorite garden photos, most of them taken this year..

Roses at Hampton Park Garden

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/427k2i87J4

Hampton Park Garden

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/zm2D2Yb87x

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/GE6u7mk95K

Magnolia Gardens

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/5adqcdkbFz

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/0u0Rouuw5c

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/yit3MVLgjU

Charles Towne Landing

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/D64m2g5ji9