Garden in Winter

Yesterday the sky was so gloriously blue, I decided to brave the cold temperatures and go to the Botanical Garden. I was expecting the grounds to be desolate, but I had forgotten about the Linnean House. In the summer, the greenhouse is not that interesting--after all, there are roses blooming just outside, and water lilies in the fountains, and scented plants around the corner in the garden for the blind. But in the winter, the greenhouse feels like a minor miracle. The warm air smells of dirt and pollen, and little birds chirp from the rafters. "It's amazing, isn't it?" a man said to me, and I agreed.

The camellias were in bloom:



Some were starting to turn brown,



some had already fallen to the ground,



and some had yet to bloom.



I don't know the name of these flowers, but the heart-shaped leaves and blossoms seemed appropriate for Valentine's Day:



Outside, cold air numbed my nose. Not much was growing, but I liked the way the bare trees looked in the sunlight.





The pond in the Japanese garden was frozen over, but some of the streams and pools were still running.




And even in the cold, you could hear birds singing and see the first hints of spring.