Roses in Bloom at the Lyndale Park Rose Garden

 “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it”. – Mary Oliver

Two weeks ago I went to the beautiful Lyndale Park Rose Garden next to Lake Harriet in Minneapolis to marvel at the beautiful spring flowers. Our summer so far has been temperamental. Wet, cool, thunderous and bursts of sunshine. Coincidently, the weather seems to have matched my mood.  To tame the stirring inside my soul, I have began practicing mindfulness and the art of living in the now. To paying attention to the moment and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It has immensely helped slow down my type-A personality who prefers to be moving all the time, whether at home or on the road.

Like the Rose Garden, I am amazed at the subtle transformation that just a few weeks can bring. Two weeks ago there were no roses in bloom and today it is a brilliant burst of life and color. Similar to my soul, the change of daily meditation and mindfulness has been immense.  For that I am truly grateful.

Take a walk with me through the Rose Garden. Close your eyes for a moment and hear the song of the birds and breathe in the delicate fragrance of the roses.

“You can muffle the drum, and you can loosen the strings of the lyre – but who shall command the skylark not to sing?” – Kahil Gibran

“The real happiness of life is to enjoy the present, without any anxious dependence upon the future.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca  

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Rose Garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota

A Visit to the Lyndale Park Rose Garden in Late Spring

“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous”. – Aristotle

I adore the Lyndale Park Rose Garden not far from my home in Southwest Minneapolis, and try to stop there a few times throughout the spring, summer and fall to see what flowers are in bloom. I am never disappointed as it is always so beautiful and peaceful. I run, walk and bike regularly around Lake Harriet which is right next to the Rose Garden yet I rarely take the time to wander inside its lovely gardens. The Peace and Perennial Gardens are my favorites and if I am feeling like I truly need an escape from urban life, I wander behind the gardens into the Roberts Bird Sanctuary where I have seen owls, woodpeckers and even bald eagles.

Early Spring is always a wonderful time to visit as I am craving color and life after a long, cold winter in Minnesota. Unfortunately this spring was wet, cold and difficult meaning I did not venture to the Rose Garden until just this past week. I am so glad I did because the peonies were all in their final stages of color and brilliance. A select few of the roses had bloomed as well.

Rose Garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Rose Garden, Minneapolis, MinnesotaThe Rose Garden is the second oldest public garden in the United States and was designed in 1908 with row after row of rectangular plots that can fit over 3,000 plants in 100 different varieties. It is run and managed by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board which also maintains Minneapolis’ vast park system that traverses the city and its lakes.

“So come, and slowly we will walk through green gardens and marvel at this strange and sweet world”. – Sylvia Plath

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