Secret Gardens

I recall reading Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1910 novel, The Secret Garden,

when I was an adolescent.

I was immediately drawn to the novel's themes of healing through nature

The novel's characters transform their sorrows through hours spent

 in a beautiful walled garden with a hidden door.

I think that's one reason why

 I equate the idea of a secret garden with mystery and magic and romance.

So today, I'm sharing some images of secret gardens here.

Here's one from New Canaan, Connecticut's 2012 Secret Garden Tour.

Wouldn't it be fun to walk under the arch 

and touch the smooth stones along the wall.

I bet they would feel pleasingly cool to the touch.

http://www.newcanaannewsonline.com/news/article/New-Canaan-s-Secret-Gardens-3655057.php

This is one of Savannah's secret gardens. 

No place does Southern charm and graciousness better than Savannah:

www.southernliving.com

Clematis over a wooden arbor draws you in: 

http://whimsicalraindropcottage.tumblr.com/post/20188498746

This one is so loaded with old world charm, 

I expect to see a princess with her ladies-in-waiting at the gate:

indulgy.com  "Secret Gardens" by gladypost

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a secret garden of your own--

one to go into and sit quietly when your heart was heavy?

And then after some time with the flowers and trees,

 to emerge calm, centered, and renewed.

Magic, definitely.

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