The Huntington: Garden of Flowing Fragrance

When my parents were in town, one of the places we were most excited to share with them was The Huntington. 120 acres of beautifully cultivated gardens, multiple art galleries, and a library full of treasures: I knew we could spend a day there, and we did!

It was definitely hot outside, which made the galleries ever so much more appreciated–we would stroll around the gardens for an hour or so, and then spend an hour inside, cooling off and checking out the exhibits. Eric and I had never been before, and even though we spent the day there, there is so much more to see!

Today I wanted to share some pictures from just one of the many gardens, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. We entered through a gate in the main wall, with a sign that read, “Another World Lies Beyond.” I was struck by how true it was, and how each element of the garden, so meticulously planned down to the tiniest detail, really did create a different realm, a different space.

Even the placement of the stones in the walkways spoke of artistry, of how something so quotidian can be made into something transports you to another place. I stood there, my feet sweeping across the stones, and thought about how I would never have thought to lay them standing upright instead of flat.

As we walked around the lake and passed by the pavilions, we took in the sweet scents of the flowers and the trees.  The lotus flowers were made yet more vibrant by the gorgeous fish swimming through them.

While I can’t build a garden like this one, it inspired me to pay more attention to the tiny details in the world around me and in the space that my husband and I create in our home. I’ve long known that it’s the little things that make us happiest–an unexpected phone call, a cup of tea on a cold afternoon, a perfect autumn leaf falling right into your path–but this garden made me ponder how I could foster those little things more in my daily life, how I could make our space also “another world.”