So you know how I’m writing a mystery series where the PI walks around clocking soul gardens around people, ones where greenery shifts and creatures pop in and out with the owner’s mood? Well, when you spend hours and hours doing that, dreaming up what emotions and feelings might look like in green, you start to notice gardens in real life.

More than you did before. Much more.

Look, that tree has an odd trunk. What a peculiar flower. Weird hole in the ground, I wonder if someone—or something—lives in it.

Earlier this month, I found myself in a garden. We’d traveled to Europe to visit family, just in time for the first of the London heat waves. The temperatures were milder during the second part of the trip, the Austria one. It was late afternoon and I had gone out to explore Salzburg’s Mirabell Gardens. The garden is famous for, among other things, being one of the filming locations for the movie The Sound of Music.

I’ve always liked formal gardens, maybe because I possess a minimalist green thumb. (We have exactly six small plants in the kitchen that somehow miraculously hang on and what’s in the yard is hardy enough to survive without much attention.)

So there I was, enjoying the neat paths, perfectly-planted rows of flowers, and the view of Hohensalzburg Fortress on its hill overlooking the town. The rain that had threatened to fall had changed its mind and I had my umbrella tucked under my arm. I climbed a set of stairs to see what the upper level of the garden looked like, only to encounter a pair of odd statues at the top of the steps. They seemed engaged in some kind of battle/sport/game. Here is the one on the left as you walk across the short bridge:

Past the bridge stood a whole circle of statues.

I had stumbled onto the delightful Dwarf Garden (Zwergelgarten).

To my modern eye, the figures looked like they just stepped out of a fantasy novel or folk tale. Did it feel a bit like I’d walked into a movie set for the Soul Garden series? Just a bit. There are no dwarves in Rod Gray’s catalogue of feelings—though there are gargoyles (looking on with disapproval) and the Gnome of Envy & Jealousy. The gnome is rosy-cheeked and likes to hover, winking, just out of reach. It would have fit right in.

Later I looked it up and learned that the “oldest dwarf garden in Europe” was created in 1715, originally held 28 marble statues (now down to 17), and that the game played by the pair of dwarves guarding the bridge was called pallone (it’s where the English word balloon comes from.) Also, the sculptures may have been based on real people. If that’s the case, their names have been lost to time. What’s left is a curious bit of history—and a reminder that you never know what you might encounter in a garden, be it real or fictional.

Inbound Book Fair

Save the Date! If you’re in the Twin Cities, I’ll be at the Inbound Book Fair on Saturday, July 11, from 11 am to 7 pm. The event takes place at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand and is shaping up to be a fun one. The organizers, Inbound BrewCo, describe the philosophy behind the event this way:

Remember the thrill of a Scholastic Book Fair as a kid? We’re bringing that nostalgia back, but for grown-ups!

Come and meet local authors, bookish crafters, peruse wares from indie bookstores, all while sipping craft drinks. There’ll also be a silent auction for the Loft Literary Center (I contributed an auction item, a 50 Page Manuscript Critique; hopefully it will bring in a bid or two.)

You can buy tickets here. (There’s a coupon! Use the discount code NEVE20 to receive 50% off any ticket type for up to 10 total tickets. Limit of 4 per order. Code is valid through July 4th. Children 12 and under get in for free.)

You’ll find me with my books and signing pen at Table 20, in the vicinity of one of the entrances and the Loft Literary auction. Hope to see you there!

What I’m Reading

I’ve been enjoying Peggy Townsend’s The Botanist’s Assistant. A suspicious death in a science lab, with an eccentric and likable botanical expert on the case. Next up on my TBR list is Yume Kitasei’s The Deep Sky.

Hope June is treating you well. Thanks for reading,

Neve