It’s fun seeing the Gardens throughout the seasons. Usually Spring and Summer are the most impressive, with life blooming all over the place; but there are plenty things you only see in Winter.
This tiny Sri Chinmoy plaque, for example. If you come to the Gardens in the Summer, it’s hidden by yellow Sri Chinmoy roses. These vibrant roses have been here longer than most staff! But did you know that The Hidden Gardens was one of the first homes of the Sri Chinmoy rose?
We received these lovely words from Stephen Kelly of Glasgow Life about the history of the Sri Chinmoy rose itself, and its history in the Gardens.
The Sri Chinmoy Rose was the inspiration of keen gardener and follower of Sri Chinmoy, Balya Somerville – who hails from Helensburgh.
Sri Chinmoy chose the rose himself and asked Balya to establish it across the world. At more or less the same time NVA were in the process of creating the Hidden Gardens. As the opening of the Hidden Gardens was planned for the summer solstice in 2003, Angus Farquhar (NVA) decided to have a ‘Festival of Light’ and invited the Sri Chinmoy Centres across the UK to perform at the opening ceremony. One of the highlights of that ceremony was the planting of the very first Sri Chinmoy Rose beside the chimney.
Subsequently the rose has been planted and is thriving in France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary as well as many other sites in the UK.
We hope you can enjoy this beautiful flower once it blooms again!
