A Walk in the Blue Garden and Pondering Daphne : Penelope Stewart

A view of the pavilion from the garden

This was a special day. Daphne was finished and now it was time to take one last walk through the garden before packing up the studio. I walked straight ahead towards the giant aloe like plants searching for the Blue Garden.

The large blueish plants border the garden

It was about 7am my favorite time of day when I went for the walk. The light was lovely and filtered through the trees.

hanging succulents

I was beginning to see that dusty blue in all different permutations.

fir tree

The ground too is covered with blueish plantings which look wonderful with the blue slag glass that Ganna Walska edged the garden with.

blue plantings

This is the excess glass that is used to edge many of the gardens

aloe carpet

I walked through the Blue Garden and then up and around and found the reflecting pool. I was trying to focus and really take this garden into my head. This would be one of the last times I would walk here. I might visit in the future but it would never be quite like this. I felt so appreciative of the residency to experience the garden in this more intimate way. I lived in Ganna Walska quarters. sleeping in her rooms and reading her autobiography each night. I was getting to know her through the garden while I was creating a wax garden on the walls. One that for me symbolized a threshold – a state of perpetual transformation.

This is the reflecting pool. I am told that this is where the large lotus flowers bloom in July.

I found another path and followed it under an umbrella of trees and discovered another pool with huge clam shells scattered over the area around it. Plus to my delight there were succulents growing over and in the wall. It made me think of my beeswax succulent wall.