Vacations Blog

According to TV every mom wants a bunch of flowers for Mother’s Day.  Also, jewelry, but let’s stick with the practical.

You can buy flowers anywhere- the flower shop, obviously, but also any farmers market, supermarket or kid on the corner.  Flowers are a dime a dozen.  Well, a lot of dimes a dozen, but you get the idea- they’re everywhere.

Instead of killing plants to enjoy them why not visit them in their natural habitat (and kill them with smog and our dependence on foreign oil- sorry, it’s an equal time thing)?

Botanical Garden - Tucson

Botanical Gardens: Most bigger towns and cities have a botanical garden.  A botanical garden is a great place to stop and smell the flowers and/or butterflies.

Botanical Garden Butterfly Exhibit - Tucson

Reflection/Meditation/Self-Realization Garden: Many spiritual and religious groups have quiet sanctuaries where you can walk and enjoy various types of flowers and ponds.  It’s very tranquil and usually very free.  In some towns you may find similar gardens as part of a local park.

Self-Realization Temple in Encinitas, CA

Koi in Pond at Self-Realization Temple, Encinitas

Flower in the Temple

Wildflowers: It’s springtime and the wildflowers are in bloom.  A quick look in a local paper or website will easily guide you to what’s blooming in the area.  Generally speaking, these are called wildflowers for a reason and there may be a bit of a drive involved, but hey, gas is cheap (relatively).

These are but a few options that are available in most markets, whether they be home or just a stop along the journey.  All of them involve a bit more time than a dozen roses from Safeway, but here’s something that the TV doesn’t want you to know- time is the real gift.  Flowers just make it smell better.