This past Sunday was the first of November and one of those perfect fall days.  The morning was very cool and crisp and then by noon it was a glorious warm sunny day in St. Louis.  After several weeks of dreary rainy days here in the city, it was a great day to check out the
Botanical Garden.  We are lucky in St. Louis to have one of the best botanical gardens in the world.  Check out their website here.   This working “live clock”  is new to the garden, replicating one that was here many years ago.  It was planted with mums, various fall plants and pumpkins.   The bird house has a cuckoo clock-like bird that comes out and sings a song on the hour.  Click on images to enlarge.

One of the most personal and private areas of the garden for me is the “Chinese Garden.”   It was created in 1995 and is formally known as the  Margaret Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden.  The garden is nestled between several main pathways and seems to go unnoticed by most.  So it is often without visitors of the two legged variety, (other than birds), and consequently very quiet and peaceful.  The garden was designed by Chinese-born architect Yong Pan.

This small garden was modeled after the “Scholar’s Gardens” of the southern provinces of China, near Nanjing.   There are several magnificent large scholar stones in the garden.

Large stone table with “benches”  just like the one I dream about for my back garden.

This mosaic medallion is made up of small polished river pebbles placed on their side in the traditional colors of a Chinese Scholar’s Garden: black, white, and gray.

Fall light travels fast and soon this garden will be edited by winter’s chill.  Comfort comes in knowing it will be just as beautiful and serene as it was yesterday but in a totally different way.

I had to include a few images of these cast stone and bronze mutton that grace the garden’s lawn.

The mutton were made by a French artist and installed a few years ago.  They have a surreal “realness” to them that makes them intriguing and yet they are made of very hard, sturdy materials that are very non sheep-like.

Basking in the fall light they seem to be aware winter is on its way.  Click on images to enlarge.