Lovely Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland
As a local girl who grew up in Wheaton, Maryland, I thought I knew everything about the area. One day, when I was teaching at John F. Kennedy High School in zipcode 20902, a friend asked me if I wanted to walk at Brookside Gardens during our lunch hour. I said sure, not really knowing what she was talking about. I was in for a wonderful surprise. I was soon walking on carefully manicured paths among some of the most beautiful flowers and trees I had ever seen. The planning that must have gone into these gardens is phenomenal, and they are continually evolving. There is a Japanese Tea House amid aquatic gardens. This ancient looking structure is surrounded by peaceful trees and serves as a perfect vantage point for the pond that teems with large goldfish, turtles, ducks, geese and other wildlife.
The Gardens are interspersed with tranquil fountains with carefully placed benches that serve as perfect meditation sites. A fragrance garden lives up to its name, but my favorite is the rose garden. Imagine every variety of rose possible, a veritable splendor of colors ranging from fuschia to deep scarlet, bordered by a trellis of hanging vines that one can lazily meander through on a sunny afternoon.
Then there is the Wedding Pagoda, complete with a path leading up to it, that could easily be trod by a bridal party. Naturally, this is a popular place for one of life's greatest events in any of the warmer months, and the wedding party spills out into the fragrance garden and other enticing areas of the park.
One of my favorite areas is the section that commemorates the sniper victims. This is a stone garden with plaques naming all of the victims and the communities they hailed from. There is an additional stone on which the event is explained in detail to the uninitiated observer. It is easy to observe a moment of silence or prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters who died during that tragic and senseless onslaught.
A less auspicious path is the lower one that actually is a newer section. It is surrounded by brightly colored azalea bushes and large, interesting looking aquatic plants. It has another house like structure with an Asian look, dedicated to specific individuals, like many of the benches throughout the park. I like this path because it is quieter and the house is an excellent place for meditation, with a nice view of the pond and its resident turtles and ducks.
On the lower level is a conservatory that is enclosed and open year round. The decorations usually reflect the changing seasons, particularly Christmas. The plants contained in the conservatory are breathtaking, truly amazing, and of course there is a little bridge and a waterfall, for a soothing effect. During the holiday season, the gardens are all lit up at night and creatures like reindeer are added to the delight of the smaller holiday celebrants. Seeing the gardens at night is a unique treat at that sacred and special time of the year.
Comments(3)