A garden, some might argue, is an artificial ordering of nature, an attempt to tame her wild and unpredictable unkemptness. Others would reply that the tranquil beauty of a garden is its own reward. So is the careful catalog of species in the arboretum more like a teaching hospital (studied for the betterment of mankind) or a zoo (visited for personal pleasure)?
Civilization gave us gardens, yet it's hard to imagine a civilized country that doesn't also value wilderness. Domesticity is symbolized by the flower bed, where a rose, it's safe to say, may be more than a rose to its caretaker.
Well, before we get all tied up in metaphors, let's just say that the third annual National Public Gardens Day, is coming up, as it always does, just before on Mothers Day Weekend. That's Friday, May 6th, this year.
To celebrate the country's botanical gardens, arboreta, conservatories, educational gardens and historical landscapes, many of the 500 institutions that make up the American Public Garden Association will mark the day (hard on the heels of Earth Day, we realize) with special events and activities (some running through the weekend) for schools, families and thousands of visitors.
There's only one "official" APGA garden in Washington, PowellsWood off Dash Point in Federal Way, but several attractive Seattle parks and gardens are also expected to participate (400 public parks and gardens, 6,200 acres), and the Seattle Parks Foundation, which promotes citizen support for public parks, supports the spirit of the project. This page has links to additional public gardens after you enter a radius around your starting city.
Finally, the publication at the heart of the home & lifesyle "domesticity" industry, Better Homes & Gardens, is offering a voucher for free admission to PowellsWood on its website, www.bhg.com/freegarden.
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