Among the Tulips

Business brought me back to St. Louis once again. This time I gave my free hours to the Missouri Botanical Garden, a place built entirely around a subject I had mostly passed by. Flowers had never been much of a focus for me, and this felt like the right place to change that.

The tulips were everywhere, in nearly every color, filling beds and borders across the grounds. Between them were ranunculus with layered petals, a quiet Ottoman garden built around reflecting pools, and a garden gate crowned in Chihuly glass. Bronze sculptures stood among the plantings, and the old brick conservatory sat just beyond them.

Getting close to the petals and waiting for the light taught me a different kind of patience than the city streets ever had. St. Louis had shown me its brick, its beer, and its river. This time, it showed me something softer.