Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. As I write, I am overlooking the ocean, enjoying a respite before heading to my sister’s home near Richmond. It’s a treat to spend cherished time with family on Thanksgiving, and I hope you will, too. To my delight, the Thanksgiving gardens along Virginia Beach are still in bloom.
Jolee squealed with delight to return to Virginia Beach.
The hotel is at the end of the drive-through Holiday Light Display. We arrived at night greeted with the message “Living the Life in Virginia Beach.” A waving Santa and jolly snowman say goodbye to visitors as you exit below a vibrant, color-changing tunnel.
Thanks to Jolee’s squeals of delight saying the day was here, we rose to see the sun rising above the sea, its brilliant orange blaze tinting the clouds above and the current below. The daily miracle over the rippled glass of the ocean with puffs of lacey tides is perhaps taken for granted by the folks who live here.
The oddity of finding a large pinecone on the beach caught my eye. Jolee ran to snoop as I crouched to snag a photo. Then, off she goes to stalk and chase the seagulls.
The Secret Life of Pinecones – finding one on a beach is odd!
By day, the unlit white wire forms of dancing penguins, surfing Santa, jumping fish, and crabs around musical notes are fun to see. But I’ll vote for the nativity scene amongst the secular setting as “best of the show” —grateful that Christmas is still part of the holiday season.
Gardens along Virginia Beach are still in bloom on Thanksgiving
Sunny Yarrow still in bloom
Of course, as we walk the three-mile boardwalk designated among the Great Public Places by the American Planning Association, I can’t help but focus on the gardens. There are wooden benches to sit on and view the ocean. Amid them is a garden of ornamental grasses and tough seaside perennials tolerant of the salt air—many still in bloom, such as sunny yellow Yarrows with fuzzy bluish-green foliage.
A swath of assorted Echinacea brings a smile.
A single Stella D’Oro Daylily flower so late in the season renews an appreciation for the tough, though a tad overused, garden plant. And a swath of assorted floriferous Echinacea brings a smile.
It’s remarkable how many roses remain in full bloom at Thanksgiving. How lovely they look beside the ornamental grasses swaying in the breeze in their golden late fall glory.
A not-so-yucky Variegated Yucca sets the stage for Ice Plant.
Then come Yucca, a plant I largely dislike, and joke that its name is fitting—though they have a place in tropical settings and along the shore — Especially when an Ice Plant, a drought-tolerant succulent, serves as a groundcover under a not-so-yucky Variegated Yucca. I believe it’s a Coopers Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi). Bees love them, while deer don’t. The bright magenta flowers open as the sun rises and close at dusk.
The Peace Pole at Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach Patriotism
I adore the patriotism of Virginia Beach, with courtyards of sculptures honoring those who serve. Maybe if I lived here, the sonic sounds of F-18 Hornets from the nearby navy base would be intrusive. But the roar quickly dissipates, traveling over a thousand miles per hour to land on aircraft carriers out to sea.
The most joyous discovery that came at the end of our walk was a peace pole with the quotation, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
For over thirty years, it’s a worldwide movement started by Masahisa Goi, born in 1916 in Tokyo, Japan. He dedicated his life to inspiring global peace and harmony after witnessing the devastation of World War II and the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His famous words—
“World peace comes about when each individual lives in a peaceful setting. Likewise, when each individual lives in a peaceful setting, it means that world peace has been realized.” -Goi Sensei.
I wish you a joyful time with family and friends, warm memories of those who are no longer with us, and healing love for those maneuvering through illness and recovery. Happy Thanksgiving, and blessings to all!
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmail.com (and your favorite Podcast App.)
More about the Peace Pole Project
Link to The Secret Life Of Pinecones you’ll enjoy. Also featured on the Garden Dilemmas Podcast:
Welcome home partner, and thank you for another beautiful column.
Thank you, my dear friend. Your kind words mean so much. Looking forward to when our weekly sings at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice resume. Meanwhile, I’m grateful you can spread the joy, BIG love, Mary