Flowers on Flowers on Flowers

This past Monday, my English class took a field trip to the Botanical Gardens at the Penn State Arboretum.  It was a hike and a half from my dorm in the freezing cold at 9 am Monday morning, not exactly ideal.  To say the least, I wasn’t looking forward to wandering around outside so early, but when I arrived my opinion changed.  The gardens were extravagant and full of beautiful life and color.  Being so early in the morning, the sun was hitting everything just right and beams of light danced off the droplets of dew resting on every petal.  It was breathtaking.  I love nature; in high school I was part of the environmental club and I’ve always enjoyed just sitting outside and watching the world, sometimes even painting it.  The gardens at Penn State reminded me of a place back home called Busch Gardens.  It’s another GORGEOUS place, much bigger than that of Penn State, that has display after display of flowers, fountains, and simply, beauty.  My family used to go there on special occasions like the Fourth of July or Christmas to see the fireworks and light shows.  Although the Arboretum wasn’t quite as extravagant, it gave me some comforting thoughts of home at a time when I needed them most. 

The best part of the gardens is all of the colors.  Being an artist, I always notice the different colors and shades.  The architect for this place did a wonderful job because there are bursts of light and color everywhere you look.  I hope someday I will be able to bring a palette of paints and an easel down to capture a little bit of it. 

The gardens have lots of little seating areas near the flowers with benches and chairs.  I couldn’t help thinking that this would be an amazing place to take your notes and study.  So peaceful, so enchanting, it would be the perfect place to get some quiet and focus.

There is also a fountain at the back surrounded by a field of grass and flowers.  When the sun hits it just right it looks like the water is dancing.  I could stand staring at it for hours. 

There is a pond with lots of gently floating lily pads and flowers. 

Lots of funky plants as well. These aren’t your typical gardens.

Lastly, there is a special occasions area for weddings and proms.  It’s really beautiful and covered in a nice white tarp.  When you look out into the fields from under the tarp you see all of the flowers and the fountain in the distance.  If the weather is nice, it would be a wonderful place to make memories.  I’m sure it gets very popular here, especially since Penn State has such adoring alumni; I’m sure a lot of people would love to be able to say they got married on such sacred ground.  What about you? Do you think you would ever get married at the Penn State Arboretum?