Murren, Switzerland is a village where flowers and gardening in the summer appear to be a passion equal to snow sports in the winter. Visiting here for a few days I’m staggered by the beautiful displays of flowers seen everywhere I turn.
Murren is a popular destination for travelers, so it would be easy to assume this is done just for the tourists who come. Though the visitors speak a multitude of languages, nearly everyone understands the language of beauty in the window boxes and small gardens terraced on the slopes.
The evidence of a passion for gardening is found off the main streets where vegetable plots of leeks, lettuces, pumpkins, and squash grow in the dark, fertile soil.
I’m here in late September, the days are growing shorter, the temperatures are dropping, but the garden chores of collecting seed, turning over the soil for next year are continuing. I walk up and around the town, passing sunflowers and dahlias, lavenders, and bee balm blooming.
Some favorite displays I return to over and over again. The neatly stacked woodpiles are even part of the floral display.
I used to ski, and I love to garden, but I’m not sure I could make it through all the seasons of Murren. It is fun to imagine!