special

In the Baptist churches of my youth, worship services usually included a soloist singing right before the sermon. This was called the special, short for special music.

Saturday morning, I experienced a gardening special. A friend and I drove up to the northern suburbs to a small nursery that specializes in shade garden plants and day lilies. Winding Walk Garden is only open on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from May to the end of July. This is the last year it will be in operation.

It is a work of love by the owners. Most of the plants are grown in their demonstration garden or their propagation garden. It always rains and is a little cold when I visit them, the best way to see a shade garden -- not the wet, but the diffused light.

I ended up buying hostas, false forget-me-nots, and an orchard colored astilbe called Visions. Not only are their plants healthy, there are many examples of them planted in their incredible garden that is threaded with walks.

A great treat.