The Second Vision - Chapter 4 - Part -3

The Second Garden Dream

Well I know the lane well now that leads to my Garden. I come here so often now and things are coming along nicely. I have been so busy cleaning and pruning and planning though that I feel I need to walk the Garden and document its progress.

As I walk up I notice the side walks are now spotless and all the moss and debris has been methodically cleared. The ivy walls are now neatly sheared and where there are bare spots, wire has been strung and new vines are being encouraged to cover them up. The trees are still beautiful and look even taller and statelier now that they have been trimmed and manicured. Impatiens and coleus have been planted and are thriving in their shade. This makes the whole entrance so much more inviting and breaks up the green monotony. The Gated entrance once covered and hidden is now quite prominent and inviting. The trees have been trimmed back just enough to let the light shine through very prominently here. There is a series of pots placed on each side with a stunning display of colorful floral draping down there sides and beckoning all that saunter down the lane to take notice. On the wall on each side of the massive gates are lion head fountains spitting water gracefully into marble bowls. The limestone casing of the gate shows now and arches gracefully above the gate framing it quite nicely. There are plans for an inscription there soon, but for now a copper plate has been hung in the center and it reads, “All are welcome to enter in Peace.” The gates themselves are quite exquisite. The have an ornate oak leaf pattern scrolled trough them. They are unlocked now and have been oiled so they open with ease and silence. Walking in the arch is actually a tunnel covered for about 15 feet or so. At the end of the tunnel there is now a sign that reads, “Please pardon the dust, Reflection Garden under Construction”. There is a table with blueprints laid out. This is the site of the new reception space of the Garden where guests may wait, relax and prepare for the rest of the Garden experience. A large Oriental type structure is being built at one end and a large pond is being dug out in preparation of the future reflecting pond. This will reflect and amplify the surrounding beauty of the landscape and add the soothing element of water to this sacred space. Guest will soon be able to sit at its banks and reflect and ponder. There will be a gravel path so guests can slowly meander around the pond and there is even a bridge being built to give guests a view from the center of the quiet pool.

The new building will serve as the new Main Gate to the true garden that is now safely behind its framed walls. Two large stone Phu Dogs have already been placed on each side of the main steps leading to the Oriental Gate House. They are there to forcefully invite all evil to leave the reflection garden and forbid evil from ever making it into the sacred garden behind them. Most of the large trees and boulders are already planted and in place now. But despite this it is still very much a work in progress and is therefore not operational by any means yet. The new Guard gate, though not finished, is completely operational and is serving its purpose well. The large ornate doors are in place and stand locked. There is a small polite signs that reads, “Please sign the registration log and wait patiently, and the Host of the Garden will be with you soon.” There is a bench there to sit on but since the space is still undergoing so much work its not entirely relaxing yet.

As I unlock the new gates and walk inside the framed building it is sheeted with plastic to hide the construction going on inside the building and to quickly guide you through to the other exit. As I walk out the back of the new structure I step out onto a very French looking patio area raised about 5 feet higher than the surrounding landscape. From this patio I am directly in front of the lovely swan fountain that marks the center of the garden. It has now been gilded in gold and has the most amazing display of flowers around its base. It seems to glow now. It is an absolutely breathtaking centerpiece. It stands there now with an encircling polished granite path. Large fir trees have been added now and enclose this grand area and seem to frame three separate entrances into the North, East, and West Gardens. The patio I stand on acts as the entrance to the South Garden that will soon be the reflection area. This area has been transformed into an impressive courtyard and is quite manicured and complete. The patio has wide gentle steps that invite you to descend toward the fountain. I am quite pleased with the progress of this part of the garden.

I continue into the Garden and up the path toward the North Garden, the Rose Garden. The newly added fir trees block one from seeing this garden from the patio so you must wander around the fountain and up through the fir canopy. An arch has been carefully trimmed in the large firs to create a natural entrance to the Rose Garden. As I walk through the arch is obvious this part of the Garden is also under major renovation. There are piles of leaves and branches, weeds and debris heaped here and there amongst the garden. It seems that the front fourth of the great raised rose bed has been thoroughly weeded and prepared. It actually looks quite sparse in this quarter since there are only a few roses left in this space. Now that that section has been weeded it has maybe 8 or 9 roses in a space of over 100 feet long. The few roses that remained have been cut way back and fertilized and have had the soil worked around their bases. Also the Cypress and Ewe shrubs in this front quarter of this Garden had been neatly trimmed and sheared to absolute perfection. The bulbs in the side gardens have also been pulled up, thinned and neatly replanted and labels have been placed to show what was planted where. Truly the garden looked a bit stark and naked but you could tell it was receiving a lot of care and thought and would soon be something quite spectacular again. Now the remaining three quarters were still quite a mess and in need of the same attention as the front although at the back the large wisteria had been carefully pruned back. Only a couple had survived and were in the process of growing back and where the others had failed new ones had been planted and were being trained up the columns. Sprinklers and hoses ran here and there through out the garden though, ensuring that all plants that have survived were now flourishing. There were forms placed along the path where urns and lights would soon be added and from the valance of the trellis large pots of hanging geraniums were a burst of pink color in front of the impressive valley in the beyond. The pillars had all been power washed and were once again powder white. The area still needed a ton of work but it was looking like someone now cared.