A Gift from a Flower to a Garden

Released as a two-LP box set and separately as the albums Wear Your Love Like Heaven and For Little Ones, A Gift from a Flower to a Garden is a wonderful piece of 1967. The Heaven material includes the catchy psychedelic pop of “Wear Your Love Like Heaven,” the childlike innocence of “Little Boy In Corduroy” and the organ-propelled romp, “Mad John’s Escape.” The instrumentation is lush and varied, allowing for guitar, organ, flute, bongos and drums. Even more fascinating is the Little Ones material recorded with little more than acoustic instruments. Here, Donovan taps into his inner child. “Song of the Naturalist’s Wife” is a spare, haunting piece of music that begins with a baby’s cry and nature sounds, while “The Enchanted Gypsy” captures a hypnotic sway with carefully arranged accompaniment. “The Lullaby of Spring,” “Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)” and “Starfish-on-the-Toast” represent the hippie vision at its most back-to-basics, with a refreshing optimism washing over the tracks. Yet, it’s quite sophisticated as music for children and is best enjoyed by adults with a silly streak.