When I was in junior high, I subscribed to some basic horticulture magazines. If I remember correctly, they were the magazines with the most pictures in them. My highest frustrations were when there were beautiful pictures, but no detailed descriptions to help identify the flowers. One such beautiful picture was the snowscape created in the outdoor display area of Longwood Gardens. As I read on, more pictures of an impressive conservatory filled my eyes and sparked my imagination. They were offering an internship through one of their programs. I applied but it did not work out. Fast forward 9 years to the future, and imagine my pleasure as they hosted us to one of the grandest evening I have experienced.

Dinner was served in the conservatory. There was a live band with dancing. Afterwards, we were treated to a fountain show with impressive lighting and even more impressive fireworks. The performance was set to classical music and other American classics such as pieces by John Phillip Sousa. The climax for me was the emotional strong string movement towards the end of "Waltz of the Flowers" by Taichovsky. We later retired, setting our glasses of red wine down as we left.

There were some beautiful gardens and arrangements on this trip. I took particular notice of the Zephyranthes candida that they were growing completely submerged in water. I had never seen it grown that way, but it just goes to show it's tolerance (or liking) to wet feet. On a final note, I snapped this picture at the Delaware Art Museum because if the reader were to ever wander what we do in our free time, this is the best visual representation.