Day: June 4, 2024

Imagine romantic botanical gardens where you can have fun too. Visit our butterfly house and watch them flutter around you. Wander through the maze, hop on rides, or find a spot to dance, cuddle and kiss. Where romance lingers and memories are made.

So reads the description for Joyful Gardens, a simply delightful region design by Hedy Heartsong, and which is home to more than might first appear to be the case when visiting.

Leveraging the Land Capacity bonus available to Full private regions, the setting’s charm commences with the general design of its three islands. This is hardly obvious from ground level, but can be seen on the map available on the reverse wall of the landing point’s notice board or indeed, by looking at the World map, although to really appreciate Hedy’s sculpting of the land, I recommend camming overhead and looking down.  Doing so will reveal that each island has been shaped in a manner which, when taken together, summarise the inherent theme of the setting: that of nature.

This is a place where it is exceptionally easy to get around on foot, each of the islands offering its own charms and attractions. The main island and the smaller island to the south-east are connected via a zip line and a small bridge. However, to reach the second of the smaller islands, sitting up off the north-west coast of the main island, you’ll need to either fly, make use of a rezzable skiff from the small jetty alongside the main island’s lighthouse or use the bubble rezzer available at the landing point for a more sedate ride to reach it. If none of these options appeal, then the island has a network of teleporters to help guide visitors from point-to-point around the setting: just look for the tree stumps with the topiary rabbits jumping over them.

Located on the south side of the main island, the landing point is roughly equidistant from both the lighthouse and the bridge crossing the narrows to the south-east islet. It faces a walk along a narrow neck of grassy land which quickly flairs out into the main island proper. Which of the three routes you opt to take is entirely up to you; as noted, the lighthouse sits above a small jetty where a skiff can be rezzed so you can pootle around the islands on the water, whilst the south-eastern islet is the location of a cosy little house / cabin and can – again as noted above, be reached by way of a bridge.

The fact that the latter is set apart from the rest of the setting initially suggests it is a private residence; however, signs on the picket fence before it bid visitors welcome, an invitation to explore it and the grounds around it. Both  he house and its accompanying outbuilding have the look of having once been put to more work-a-day uses, possibly as barns, but have now been converted into a cosy little residence and bath house respectively. They sit within a wildling garden where the grass has been allowed to freely grow, and fruit and vegetables are being cultivated in planters watched over by ripening corn on the cob.

Steps and a deck extend down from the island’s flank and out over the waters of the cove separating it from the main island, the deck presenting both a place to sit and a chance to rez a skiff and continue onwards by water. Just above and behind this is the termination point from the zip line which can also be used to reach the house from the central uplands of the main island. Obviously, you can also travel onwards from the house via the teleport network – but if you opt to take the skiff, don’t simply motor off and around the islands – it it to the middle of the bay and have a look at what lies beneath. the waves.

Away to the north-west Bird Island (as I’m going to call it) is home to a chapel, the waters between it and the main island guarded by a pair of sharks. Fortunately, it also has a jetty and skiff rezzer (I didn’t see a teleporting tree stump there), so you can avoid being looked upon as a moving snack by said sharks as you swim back across the channel separating the two islands.

The main island in the trio is home to a number of points of interest spread across its gently rising form, including ruins up on the central uplands – which have their own weather as well as the starting point for the zip line mentioned earlier;  a maze (one of two awaiting exploration, although you will need to avail yourself of the teleporter system to reach the second (and larger) of them) and an outdoor space that seems to combine an events / celebration / reception space (the chapel is set for weddings) with a small formal terrace / seating area / pond and a brace of carnival rides and a pair of hippity-hop amusement rides.

Meanwhile, sitting under the ruins is an old mining tunnel which can be explored from one end as it dives under the hilltop, whilst the north side of the island is home to the Joyful Jardin Vert, and its exposition bontanique. Here, laid out in a small and tidy formal garden space can be found a profusion of geraniums, gerbera and nemophila flowering amidst privet brushes and shrubs, the flower beds neatly divided by paves walks offering access to a central fountain and seating area.

Shielding all this on three sides are tall glass-and-stone greenhouses, one of which is now a butterfly house, the second a teaching room for those wishing to enhance their green-fingered skills, and the third a place in which to relax and enjoy a dance or a nibble of cake and freshly brewed tea (although the bubbly admittedly attracted me more – tea and I have a near life-long agreement that we will largely ignore once another!).

Throughout the entire setting are numerous places to sit and relax, opportunities to photograph the local flora and fauna and to generally appreciated Hedy’s landscaping talents. In keeping with this, do be sure to follow the trail between the trees on the west side of the Jardin Vert in order to fins more eye-catching and secluded little spots. And do make sure to travel with local sounds on to get more of an immersive feel for the setting. Photography is encouraged throughout, and should you need to rez props for your work, contact Hedy and she’ll do her best to assist you.

Genteel, relaxing and eye-catching under almost any EEP daytime setting (I’ve using the Shared environment in my images here), Joyful Gardens is a region that more than meets the promise of its name.

SLurl Details

• Joyful Gardens (Joyful, rated Moderate)