The Second Look: the Garden Wall at Brookgreen Gardens

So grateful that I returned for a second visit in the light of spring to see what was beyond the garden wall at Brookgreen Gardens.

The flickering candlelight on the slope outside the garden wall in December had been unexpected. The dark night was the backdrop during ‘Nights of a Thousand Candles.” The candlelight in the darkness was such a contrast after moving through the glorious spectacle of the electrical light show that showcased the garden and sparked wonder in so many ways. There was a joyous energy of delight and awe as we explored the garden paths and then, at the back wall, encountered the quiet of candlelight and the backdrop of winter darkness. I wondered, “What is beyond the garden wall?” The darkness offered no clue. But I heard a prompt: “Come back in the spring.”

My curiosity was kindled.

I received the answer when I returned in March 2026.

Discovery in the Garden

The Lightness of Being in Bronze

The Power of Subtlety

Beyond the Garden Wall

The Redemption of Our Wasted Time

The experiences in the garden in March restored my attention and creative energy. Time fell away as the garden continued to open up as my attentiveness to it deepened. The garden didn’t ask anything of me other than my attention and my presence. The playful wonder of discovery expanded and deepened. My pace, the steps of observation, transformed and I remembered to pause again. I discovered how the garden grows on the ground of remembrance. None of this would have happened if I didn’t return to take a second look at Brookgreen Gardens.

Curiosity drew me back to the garden.