Author: Katherine Glenn

Sitting in the garden, listening. It is a bright, but shady mid afternoon. The sun is warm.

My roommate and I walked down the trail to a hidden bench behind some shrubs. The light was shining through the trees just enough to be a pleasant energy.

I picked a flower from a near by bush- it’s pink but not to bright, just like a flamingo. My roommate tells me it’s a hibiscus.

We are sitting by a bench as a lay a blanket down and try to sit in silence or as much silence one can have in the city.

There is a slight breeze. Being in nature in Greensboro is different than being back home in the country.

I love the city because it’s always moving, but also my love for the country is unmatched because of the immediate ease it brings me.

Movement. Memories. Music. Meditate. Magnetic. Mindful.

Being out in nature clears your head and makes you think, but not regular thinking, more wondering.

BE still. I tell myself. Repeat. Breathe.

I am a very energetic person. Being still is a challenge for me. Going outside and sitting down and listening helps me. I also try to soak up as much information as I can.

Being in nature in Greensboro is different than being back home in the country. City nature is always moving and has lots of energy. Country nature is slow paced and quiet. In WV, It is quiet. Walking down the boat ramp to the nearby river it is silent.

Small town, country nature isn’t man made either. it is authentic and effortlessly wonderful.

However, walking in the city is there is always noise. The city has nature in its own way. A lot of trees and flowers. There is no silence, there is always noise.

In the city you have to be appreciate of the nature thats there, even if its manmade. Acknowledging it is important, but nature also needs to be preserved.

It hurts going home and seeing development happened where farm fields used to grow crops for acres and acres. Every time I go home, I see something new being built. In the city it is already built, but coming from a small town it’s still considered big to me.

Walking through the bicentennial, there is a wildflower section. On the path there is a picture stand with information about all the wildflowers that can be scene. The wildflower path is my favorite because it reminds me of my mother. I have wildflowers tattooed on me for her. Whenever I see wildflowers I think of my mother and it instantly changes my mood and makes me feel a type of way.

The dandelion, ox-eye daisy, queen annes lace, and chicory are some of the most common wildflowers in North Carolina, and are very important to ecosystems.

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Spring in North Carolina feels like cold mornings, 60-70s in the afternoon with a possible slight breeze, and chilly at night.

The weather before spring seemed to be on shuffle, almost unpredictable. It will be rainy one day and sunny the next. It will be rainy all week and then sunny for a week.

You may ask yourself, well doesn’t April showers bring May flowers? In North Carolina it seems to start in February.

The park continues to change throughout winter and spring. I like North Carolina because you do have a sense of season change here. I also like this project because I get to see how these gardens change over time while learning about them.

Below is the a map of the bog garden. The map shows all of the key spots to check out while visiting the park such as all of the different trails you can walk on and manmade waterfalls.

During the “winter” months in January and February the park was cold and sullen. No greenery to marvel at or pretty flowers blooming. Instead winter looks more like bare trees and dull colors.

In the spring, as it starts to get warmer quickly and suddenly in late February- early March, the flowers start to bud. The warmth of the sun brings back life to all the plants.

Specifically found in the bog garden are flowers such as lilies, hibiscus, dogwood trees, oak trees, ferns.

Not only do the plants start to bloom, but the insects and bugs start to come out. Lady bugs, inchworms, bees, hornets, and lots of other little critters are found in the gardens.

As the sun comes out and everything gets warmer, the more people are out taking walks, walking their dog, having photoshoots, and it seems like the world starts to bloom as well as the flowers.

As summer approaches quickly after spring in the south, the weather gets very hot, very fast.

I have enjoyed watching the park change throughout the past couple of months from no greenery to leaves as green as fresh peas. The growth of the trees, flowers, and shrubs is unique. One moment they’re budding and then the next they’re fulll of life.

The growth of new trees and plants reminds me that even in nature plants go through cycles just like us humans. It is okay to not always be blooming and beautiful sometimes we must fade away and recharge.

Spring is my favorite season because it is not tell hot like summer, but it isn’t as cold and harsh as winter. The spring in NC is short, but I enjoy it while it lasts. The dogwoods are bright pink and an occasional cherry blossom with its light pink leaves will pop up. I think it’s important we appreciate all the seasons as they come and go like a spring thunderstorm.

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The most amazing part of the gardens in particular is all of the art scattered throughout, in just about every section you visit.

The sculptures add a visual and interactive aspect to the garden creating an interesting vibe.

1. The student sculpture I wrote about in my bicentennial history post, is represented after a student who would’ve attended the college that was previously built on the land.

2. The next sculpture is the Music stand and bench. The bench was made by Jim Gallucci.

3. The next sculpture is called “on the fence” created by Michiel VanderSommen, sculptor

4. Wings – Gary Price, sculptor

5. Free To Soar – Michiel VanderSommen, sculptor – 2000

The sculpture depicts a young boy taking flight like the birds around him. it reminds me of the reading,

6. Sundial – Ogden Deal, sculptor

7. The Oak Leaf Handrail Jim Gallucci, sculptor

The oak sculpture is one of my favorites because I really admire the blacksmith work it took to construct this sculpture. My brother is a blacksmith and creates a lot of archways and railings like this. I can only imagine the precision and time it took to create that piece.

After taking some time an experiencing the gardens, I’ve really taken time to appreciate the art and art history of the land.

The bicentennial gardens are a hop, skip, and jump from the bog garden in Greensboro.

The gardens are very popular with tons of walking trails, scenery, and visual art to admire.

As you can see from the map they’re relatively very close to each other. The bicentennial gardens is located at 1105 Hobbs Rd. It shares the same qualities as the bog garden such as being quiet, peaceful, and effortlessly beautiful.

The bicentennial gardens were created in 1976 by the Greensboro beautiful project. The garden is 7 1/2 acres and is filled with different attractions.

One of the main attractions is the sculpture located in the garden called “the student” modeling a typical student that would’ve attended the David Caldwell College. I presume this models a white man with money considering the time frame where no one was allowed to be educated except that specific group. The gardens were built on the land that once belonged to Log college in 1767.

The bicentennial gardens is also called the “sensory” garden because the gardens pertain to all of the senses. The garden features varieties of trees annuals, perennials, and shrubs. The location is home to a gazebo which serves as a popular wedding location. Often times when it is nice out a lot of people come to take graduation, wedding, family and lots of pictures because of the vivid landscape.

The gardens are in partnership with Greensboro beautiful which is a non profit organization that is filled with volunteers.

Below is a map of the Bicentennial garden.

The garden has many features besides the gazebo.

At the beginning of the garden there is a way to donate money and also lend your name to the garden engraved on a brick stone.

The woodland stream is one of the popular features. It is a manmade waterway that recirculates and runs throughout the garden providing some texture, sound, and movement.

There is a separate section of gardens named Camberley’s garden after the memory of Camberley Holiday, the former daughter of former Greensboro mayor Keith Holliday. The children passed away and the garden is dedicated as remembrance.

The rock garden is another separate garden with a creative stone wall section designed by a volunteer, Windham.

The section of the garden is the Lillian Livingston Daylilly garden. One of my favorite parts of the garden because I love lilies.

A close second to my favorite features would be the part of the gardens named the Alexander Magnum Memorial garden. The garden has a couple benches accompanied with three sets of giant wind-chimes that are effortlessly beautiful. The benches are on a stone floor with a couple big boulders and painting nearby. This section was newly added in April 2020.

The old mill which I mentioned in one of my other previous posts, is remodeled after the mill that David Caldwell operated in the 1780s. The mill has a free-standing water wheel that works with the recirculating stream.

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Birds chirping. Touching flower petals. Sunshine shining on my skin. Crisp air. The smell of fresh water and moist soil. The 5 senses.

As I was walking around the Bicentennial gardens, I was trying to take in all 5 of my senses.

Recently, 555, has been appearing in my life. The angel number 555 spiritually represents the being in true sync with yourself. It also symbolize’s change. Change is something apparent in my life currently, as I am in a transition of beginnings and endings. Graduating college, moving, transitioning, adapting, growing, learning, living, in the midst of a pandemic. I’d say thats a lot of change going on.

Although in the midst of change, I have found that the more things change, the more they do stay the same.

The more you go through life, the more you are brought back to your roots and your passions.

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The 5 senses are sound, touch, sight, smell, and taste. On this particular day I paid attention to each one of my senses as I was walking around.

1. Sounds:

In the gardens, I heard birds chirping, cars going by, leaves and tree branches rustling in the wind. I heard people chattering as they walked by on the various paths through the garden.

2. Touch:

As I walked throughout the gardens, I touched a nearby fern leaf and felt the coarseness of the plant.

3. Sight:

The sunshine beaming onto you while simultaneously providing warmth, the temperature was low 60s with sunshine. The sky was clear blue -no clouds in sight. People walking by carrying conversations. Kids in strollers. As I was sitting on a bench my eyes finding glimpses of all the wildlife such as birds, ants, and other little critters. I passed by a “new” mill but modeled to replicate an old mill.

As we walked along the river bank we saw trees with giant, thick roots protruding out from the surface of the soil.

4. smell:

The smell of crisp air, moist soil, and honey suckles filled the air. It was slightly cold with some sun shining. The city air is more fresh.

5. taste

The taste of fresh water. The water you desire on a sunny afternoon. Also the water in the streams flowing into other mini pathways.

Taking in all 5 of my senses in the garden gave me the ability to clear my head and be present in the moment.

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Bog Garden – Greensboro, NC

The habitat I chose this semester is the Bog Garden in Greensboro, NC. The Bog Garden is 7 acres wide and was once previously inhabited by the Keyauwee, Sappony, and Shakori tribes.

Wherever I find myself in the world, I like to find spots in nature that give me a peace of mind. Even in the busiest cities, you can find a place that brings you peace, quiet, and relaxation. It is not the same as being back in the country where you’re surrounded by mountains, fields, and rivers. Instead, you must adventure to find local places of greenery.

I found myself walking across a long wooden bridge that runs along a creek. The bog garden gives you a hidden sense of magic in the city. A quiet get away. It it is a little hidden jewel.

I stopped by a part in the stream and started writing in my journal I had brought with me. The mini bamboo forest reminded me of back home where my childhood best friend and I enjoyed finding and being in bamboo forests. I think bamboo is eye-catching and something about it brings me nostalgia of being very young and free.

This day happened to be extraordinary because my roommate and I had spotted a pair of cardinals together nearby trees. As they were chirping away a photographer happened to walk past and capture the moment.

My roommate leaned over to me and said that seeing two cardinals are symbols that your guardian angels are near. It was interesting she said that because growing up I always have had cardinals come to my moms bird feeder in our backyard. I have a couple guardian angels who I know will always watch out for me.

After we spent time some time writing in our journals. we walked around through some nature paths. We passed a small stream with a mini waterfall and squirrels running around. The bog garden is known for the 150 ft recirculating waterfall, the first waterfall in Greensboro. The paths also have incorporated manmade bridges, stairways, and benches you can sit on and stop to enjoy the scenery.

We stopped at a circle of big rocks in a circle where people could sit. My roommate and I laid down and looked up at the tree branches. As I laid back I took in the sun for a couple of minutes and let the warmth fill me up.

Recently I read an article on how trees talk to each-other. I have now tried to pay more attention to the trees because there is a lot of energy I feel that comes from them. I like how in the winter the trees lose their leaves, the branches create different linear paths almost like designs in the sky.

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I think it’s important to find time out in nature every so often to be able to get fresh air and sunshine. It keeps me somewhat sane in this unruly world.

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