And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles. —Francis Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
A secret garden.
Can there be anything more tantalizing? The very idea imbues the toil of gardening with romance and is one reason why that Gothic tale, beloved in my girlhood, still captivates me. So, imagine my delight when I discovered the thorny stalks of a rose while battling weeds and prickly vines behind our Victorian house. I think my young son could sense my excitement, and he called it “the secret rose.”
What color would it bloom? we wondered, anticipation buzzing.