Boston Public Gardens. George Washington. 1837
We are now entering The Boston Public Gardens…where the real show of spring begins. I know I love the streets of Back Bay and I never miss them but the Gardens are where one can get lost for hours, not only in the beautiful flowers, but in everything else that the gardens represent. If you stand in one spot and turn slowly you will realize that the Public Gardens, so quiet and lovely, full of nature, and the sounds of water, is surrounded by high rise buildings, shops and traffic and people in a hurry…but the gardens, ah, they will fill your soul with a sense of peace. Come, walk with me. I always feel like I’m in a vintage story book as I make my way through these paths the spring.
Our first stop as we enter the park is the tulip garden…this is the first of many as we travel the paths around the pond. They really put on a show every year and are so well cared for. One thing you will never find in the tulips beds are weeds. The gardeners are at work everyday, all day but somehow they do manage to be discreet. You are never are bothered by them or they by you…magical.
It’s a beautiful day in the park today…The sun is shining and people are excited to finally shed their winter coats and sit in the sun and watch the trees getting dressed, once again, for their spring performance. It’s a magical time here in the gardens and everyone wants to be part of this colorful event. Benches for sitting, mowed grass for laying and picnics and little paths that wind around the pond that is located in the center of the park. The show begins.
If you get there at the right time in the spring…early spring, you will be fortunate to see so many different trees in bloom…magnolia’s, cherry blossom trees and the weeping willow. Shade for those who love it and need it during the summer months…The pond is surrounded by trees as are all the walkways. And if you get a bright blue sky you even get a few starbursts.
Let’s take a walk around the pound and see what we find…no need to rush, we will take our time and take it all in..
You know for sure, when you see the swan boats that spring has arrived.
The Boston Gardens, the first botanical gardens, in the U.S. were opened in 1877…The Boston’s Swan Boats are the oldest and only pedal-powered vessels of their kind in the world. Launched in 1877 by Irish immigrant and shipbuilder Robert Paget, the iconic boats were inspired by Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin and remain continuously operated by the Paget family today. We have taken our own children and now our grandchildren every summer when they were young. Along with the boat ride, the children loved playing around the pond and having a picnic.
Benches for lunch dates, blankets for babies, the pond is home to flying ducks, geese and frogs. As you circle the pond you come to the bridge where often you find musician’s playing lovely music. It is also the bridge that take you from one side of the Gardens over to the other side away from the pond and eventually, you will end up at the Boston Common. Another park full of color and made for strolling but not so many flowers. That’s a park for another day. We saw the swan boats as they enter the beginning of the ride and now they are circling around and going under the bridge and eventually back to their starting point. It’s the perfect ride on a warm and sunny day and a great way to enjoy all the many trees.
Whatever you feel like on a spring day can happen under the trees and in the beauty of the Boston Gardens…The Willows for sitting by the pond, also for walking and talking on the phone. The best place to have a business meeting. Then, of course, the one that the kids love best, the climbing trees. You will find these throughout the park. I love this one with its red berries just starting to pop. As you can also see we are heading back to the street where we will once again enter the business of life but not before we travel one more path…
Love is in the air…of course it is, its spring and what better place to celebrate then at The Gardens…behind a big old solid bush. Beware though, of people with cameras. Come and visit…there surely is something for every one here of every age and when you do re-enter the world you will take all of your wonderful memories, and hopefully, some photos, home with you, from a day well-spent in Nature…yes, Nature in the City. How cool is that. Boston, we love you.
Lastly, don’t forget to visit with the Duck’s from Make Way For Ducklings…they love company, especially the kids and each season and for many occasions, they get dressed up. For this occasion, when I was there they were wearing their necklaces in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I’m sure she would have been honored that they choose to celebrate her.
As I’m sitting here writing this post I’m looking out over the window above my desk to the sky. I love my skylight window, no matter the weather it brings light into my life. We have big trees in the front of our house and so nature is always close by, the trees reflect my feelings for nature and of course, the Boston Gardens…It was only a month or so ago that we were there but I often feel the need to go to Back Bay and check on things…If you are ever in the area you should go too and when you are done for the day walk across the street and check out Charles Street…Go to Tatte’s, grab a bench outside and then get yourself a matcha tea and a pistachio croissant…you might almost think you are in Paris…enjoy.
"Walking through the Public Garden is like stepping into a painting, where every season brings a new masterpiece."
