This Grandmother's Garden: Magical Moments

Showing posts with label Magical Moments. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

If I Post It... Will She Come?

The Spring Header is UP!

So, if I post about Spring will she finally come? Hey, it's worth a try don't you think?

Here's a post from last Spring... surely one of my favorites. Enjoy!
(Our Redbuds are actually very tiny and tight as I write this. Sunshine... we need SUNSHINE!)

♥♥♥

Early morning snow in my gardens!

QUICK!

Grab a sweatshirt and run out in your PJ's!

There's MAGIC in the gardens

and it won't last long...

Spring Snow always melts so quickly.

Redbuds in Snow

The Redbuds are waiting patiently for sunshine,

and when it comes,

those tiny little buds will "POP"!

Sweet Reflection

Can you SEE the magic?

Enchanted Drop of Melted Snow

It's "take my breath away" beautiful!

I told you there was MAGIC in my gardens.

Blooming Requires... PATIENCE

All of Nature is waiting patiently...

but Spring is coming sooo very slowly.

Sensation Lilac

Buds are tiptoeing cautiously...

Is it going to be SUNNY or SNOWY?

Warm or Cold?


Maple Leaf Babies

Is it safe to come out yet?

I don't think so,

Didn't you hear?

There's more SNOW in the forecast.


Pretty Periwinkle Peeking Out from Snow

Real Blooms!

Contrary to what you may think,

these little buds and blooms will be just fine.

This is Spring in Utah.

Tulips!

Though I do think

they're BRAVE little souls.

Don't you?

This Grandmother's Garden | Highland, Utah, USA

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Frozen

We seem to have our own version of

FROZEN

going on here.

Crystal Pendant

And I must admit...

it is quite exquisite!

Winter is sooo much more
than just cold and snow.

Enchanted Branches

It's a FROZEN world
of beauty and enchantment.

But you've got to bundle up
to go find it.
~
Better hurry... it doesn't last long!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Quick! Grab the Camera!

The clouds were gray and dismal...

so thick that there was no trace of the beautiful mountains

that tower over our gardens.

It was morning...

but there was no light.

I just wanted to crawl back into bed.

♦♦♦

Then quite suddenly

the sun began to break through the clouds.

Long beams of sunlight

swept across the landscape illuminating the shadows

and bringing bright color to our view.

It was glorious as the dark shadows

began to flee away.

Surely one of those

Quick! Grab Your Camera

kind of moments.

Wish you could have been here.

All content created by Carolyn Bush | Copyright © 2010 - 2013
All Rights Reserved | This Grandmother's Garden
Highland, Utah, USA

Monday, October 21, 2013

Capturing Autumn's Golden Light

The first ray of sunshine

peeked through my office window

and I knew time was of the essence.

Grabbing my camera and a jacket

I flung the door wide open

and ran out into the chilly air.

Autumn's Golden Light

is tiptoeing through my gardens...

and I so want to capture her.

Autumn Confetti

Branches ignite into flame

as sunbeams slip in from behind.

And if I'm not quick

I'll totally miss this magic moment.

Flame Maple

I carefully place my lens...
the sun shines through each leaf
to capture the radiant glow.

Illumination

The gentle touch of Midas...

begins to illuminate my world

with soft tones of a golden Autumn.

Glorious!

Capture complete... and isn't it glorious?

I'm quite sure the leaves wait patiently all year long

for this illustrious event.

I know I do.

Oak Leaves on Fire

Morning in my gardens is always magical

but Autumn mornings...

Autumn mornings are simply divine.

Don't take my word for it...

try it out for yourself!

All content created by Carolyn Bush | Copyright © 2010 - 2013
All Rights Reserved | This Grandmother's Garden
Highland, Utah, USA

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Witness to a Miracle... Becoming a BUTTERFLY

Nature is alive with bounteous miracles...

and if we allow ourselves time to slow our pace,

we just may be invited to witness something quite extraordinary...

right in our own back yard.

Something magical

is happening inside this beautiful Chrysalis...

and the opaque outer shell

gives us a window

to the amazing miracle taking place within.

Over the course of ten days

the chrysalis slowly begins to darken.

Soon orange and black colors become visible

with the tell tale markings of wings.

At any moment the miracle will be complete.

With no apparent warning,

the chrysalis quite suddenly splits open.

See... it's happening now!

Within seconds a new living creature

emerges.

A Monarch BUTTERFLY

is born!

The wings are crumpled and wet

and the butterfly immediately begins to

unfold it's wings.

The enlarged abdomen gently pulsates

distributing life-giving fluid

into the tiny veins of the wings...

allowing them to grow quickly and harden

so the butterfly may fly.

The abdomen will contract

and become long and slender

as the wings elongate.

Within an hour of emerging

from the chrysalis,

our Monarch butterfly's wings

are full grown and dry.

The entire life cycle

from EGG to CATERPILLAR

to CHRYSALIS to BUTTERFLY

complete in four to six weeks.

And now he's ready to fly!

Several weeks ago I discovered a dozen or so Monarch Eggs scattered among the common milkweed that Mother Nature planted in a corner of my gardens three years ago. In all my many days of searching... these are the first eggs I have ever encountered. This milkweed is indeed a weed... and as weeds tend to do, it's taking over a beautiful flower bed. I don't like milkweed. But I do love Monarch Butterflies... and since milkweed is the only plant a monarch will lay her eggs on, I've let the milkweed stay. Finding those eggs was truly a magical moment for me. You can read more about the eggs to journey to a Chrysalis HERE. Knowing that Monarchs are endangered, I brought two of the eggs inside to nurture. I longed to bring in more, but with a long awaited vacation on the horizon... I knew two was all I could care for. I have a Butterfly Castle... somewhat similar to a laundry hamper but with a zippered door. It was the perfect little palace to watch our royal miracle unfold. So glad I brought those two inside. None of the others survived.

We let our butterfly linger inside

for just a day or two...

Fresh flowers to sip nectar from

will give him much needed energy.

When we're sure his probiscus (tongue)

is working well...

it's time to say farewell.

During the morning hours

after the sun has warmed the earth a bit,

is the perfect time.

My daughter gently cupped him in her hands

and carried him outside to the gardens.

She placed him amidst the blooms

then carefully lifted her hands.

I have learned that if we choose a shady spot,

our chance of capturing images before he takes off is much better.

But not always... sometimes they are eager to be free.

This one chose to linger.

But as soon as the sunshine hit his wings he began to quiver...

almost like he was revving up his motor...

and then, quite suddenly,

he was off!

He quickly discovered

the 'Miss Molly' Buddleia blooms

in our Hummingbird/Butterfly Garden.

And after sipping the tasty nectar

for just a minute or two...

... he flew quietly from my life.

Safe travels dear little one... have a beautiful life.

Highland, Utah, USA

Monday, August 12, 2013

Patience for a Princess

True Confession ♥♥♥

My heart was captured by a gallon potted plant at my favorite nursery.

Actually it wasn't really the pot I fell in love with,

rather it was the image on the plant tag

that filled my heart with desire.

Buy me! Buy me!

At first glance, I thought this lovely bloom far too delicate
to tolerate our extreme heat in Summer and freezing temps of Winter.

But further inspection of the back side of the tag
left no doubt that this was meant to be...
Hardiness: Zone 4-8
YES!

Hydrangea paniculata Great Star 'Le Vasterival'
from the renown French Garden of Princess Sturdza.

The flowers open to large creamy-white wavy stars
that can be 4 inches across
and last until the first hard frost.

♥
I was smitten.
The purchase was sealed.

♥♥♥

I found the perfect spot in my gardens... sunny...
with dappled shade in the hot afternoon.

I planted,

I fertilized,

I watered.

And I waited patiently for the Princess to bloom.

That was way back in 2011.

The plant grew...
yet no blooms.

2012... the plant grew, yet no blooms.

2013... the plant grew, and still no blooms.

I began to seriously doubt our relationship.

♥♥♥

But then... (don't you just love "but thens"?)

on July 15, 2013 at precisely 6:52 AM
(and I know this because of the meta data on my image)

I discovered this...

7/19/2013 6:57AM

A delicate little bud.
Oh my heart!

I should never have doubted you.

7/19/2013 6:57 AM

I awaited anxiously for the the stars to appear...

and here they come!

They open very tiny
but grow a little larger each passing day.

7/30/2013 6:58 AM

Isn't this just dreamy?

Images captured in the early evening
tend to take on a heavenly hue.

8/5/2013 7:30 AM

This one captured in the bright light of morning...
still beautiful.

8/12/2013 8:59:01 AM

This morning, there are new blooms awakening...

8/12/2013 7:23:59 AM

and I am most definitely in LOVE.

♥♥♥

"But who in the world is Princess Sturdza?"

This fabulous bloom is from her gardens
and my curious mind wanted to know.

My research reveals a fascinating story...

Died 30 November 2009
at the age of 94

"Born Grete Kvaal on 30 April 1915 in Oslo, Norway, she grew up without a garden but with a keen interest in natural history, especially birds, encouraged by walks in the country with her father. She studied English at Oxford, where she met Prince Georges Sturdza of Moldavia, her future husband. They married in 1936, returning to Moldavia, now a region of Romania, to live."

During the Second World War she helped her mother-in-law care for orphans and was much involved with La Croix Rouge (The Red Cross). When the communists came to power after the war’s end she and her family fled to Norway and then to France where, in 1955, they bought Le Vasterival."

"Princess Greta Sturdza was a gardener of international repute. A passionate, hands-on gardener, she was once described as a woman of demonic energy regularly rising at 6am to work all day in her gardens which, from the original 7.5 acres expanded to the present 30 acres. Her gardens, Le Vasterival at Varangeville-sur-Mer in Normandy, became a magnet for gardeners seeking to learn from her skills and gardening know-how."

Don't you just love her story?
She inspires me.
Someone should make a movie of her life!

Follow this link to read more about Princess Sturdza's life and gardens:
The Vasterival

Highland, Utah, USA