Hampton Park

This post was supposed to have been written several days ago; however, I misplaced my camera (with the pictures inside).  I searched high and low--even got depressed because I had no memory of where I might have actually put the camera.  When my husband got back in town this afternoon, I was sitting in his "Men's Room" and catching up with what had happened while he was away and--low and behold--there sat the camera--black case against black background.  It was a good excuse as to why I hadn't seen it, but did little to explain why I didn't remember WHERE I had put it.  Oh well.  On with the story . . .

 Last week was our wedding anniversary and I thought it would be nice to visit a local garden since we couldn't go out of town that day.  The weather was gorgeous and I suggested Hampton Park--a lovely city park near the Citadel.  Hampton Park has been around for years and years--and has had many lives.  In the late 1800's, it was a race track; in the early 1900's, it was an Exposition Park; in the 60's it was a zoo and it now is a large public park with lakes, trees, bandstand, jogging trails and flowers, flowers, flowers.
I first went there as a young mother to take my son for picnics and to see the zoo.  It really wasn't much of a zoo by today's standards but it was fine for a

3-year old.  There were alligators (up close and personal), otters, monkeys and other assorted animals.  And I can still hear--and smell--the monkeys.  I guess it all kind of fell away after Charlestowne Landing opened up but I have many fond memories of it.
But now the gardens have been rejunvenated and explanded and the flowers are well worth seeing although I would recommend going early in the day because the paths are not well shaded.  You can see here some of the ones I saw last week.  Notice the bumble bee on the blue flowers.  You can also see that there were edible plants--cabbage and swiss chard.

 I was especially interested in the swiss chard because it costs so much in the grocery store and is so delicious.  Since there were a couple of people planting flowers along the pathway, I stopped to ask them about planting times, etc (It's a fall-planted crop here in the Charleston area).  While I talked with them, I learned that every single flower that is planted in this huge garden is grown either from seeds or cuttings.  They have many volunteers who do this and I would have to think that it saves the City a lot of money.  And so much beauty results from all of the effort.

 Cabbage

Swiss Chard

 Part of the "Lake-System"

 This looks like a good climbing tree to me--once you used an extension ladder to get up into it!

There has been a lot of attention paid to Angel Oak on John's Island and it is well-deserved.  But look at this limb on one of the trees at Hampton Park.  Can you imagine just how long it took to grow down to the ground like that?
So, all in all, it was a nice outing for our anniversary.  And, hopefully, some of those flowers will end up in a quilt one day.