Roses and herbs and an abundant variety of Autumn asters were abuzz this morning as a small group of gardeners and a large number of bees fluttered about in the Shakespeare Garden on the campus of Northwestern University. Tucked in a secluded section of the campus, just a short pathway from the stately technology building and a few steps from the Frank W. Howes Memorial Chapel, the knot garden is a delight for the senses. I found myself imagining it in the spring, or summer, or winter, but I was mostly enjoying it today and the season of fall.
We were the only ones in the garden. Clouds shrouded the Evanston campus as they came in off of Lake Michigan. We marveled at the abundance of flowers still in bloom and the stunning Japanese anemones dancing amid the herbs. We took turns rubbing this leaf or that, as gardeners will do, to catch the scent and determine the herb at hand. The garden was designed by Jens Jensen and it has been tended by the Evanston Garden Club since its first flowers blossomed. I admire what that club does and appreciate the beauty their efforts afford visitors like us as well as the students and staff that take the time to find this hidden treasure.
The crabapples were in abundance on several trees today in this Shakespeare Garden. As we walked down the narrow paths, gently felt foliage and called back and forth “do you know the name of this one?”, the trees came alive with birds, chipping away as if tsk tsking our presence and its intrusion on their elevenish. The small, red fruit made me think of Kezzie’s tree and the tiny apples turning red on it branches. We’ll see Kezzie and Katy and Tom very soon and I can hardly wait. I remembered taking a picture of the tree a few weeks ago and since I can’t find my camera with pictures of the apples we saw today, I will post Kezzie’s tree instead as I head off to bed and sweet dreams of taking her someday to Shakespeare’s Garden by the lake.
