We all await these magical moments in the garden, so unexpected and therefore, so bewitching. And I know exactly when this one took place…5:11pm on the afternoon of Monday, April 15th. Enchanting shadows were everywhere I looked. Why was I so taken aback? Well, perhaps because we’ve been teetering tentatively into spring, with a large (too large) percentage of days that were overcast or a deluge of rain and wind. So with the radiant sun stunning my senses, I scooted about like a giddy child capturing the beauty that the shadows afforded. But it wasn’t just about the tall trees on the front lawn which are responsible for everyday shadows (see feature image above)

or the ornamental cherry trees within the garden.

No, it was the accessories, like the four Versailles planter boxes, their finilials even showing up on the grass.

This opportunity included not just tree shadows but heavenly shapes recorded in the pebble paths that, very honestly, I had not noticed before (this is where the “magic” comes in)…ie. the antique wrought iron gate in the Fountain Garden whose details clearly show off in another perspective!

And the metal globe in the intersection of the four Orangerie parterres, centered by the cherry standards. (In the summer, the globe is covered in clematis, so there would not be an opportunity to ever see this shadow).

Before closing this spontaneous, of-the-moment blog, I couldn’t resist sharing an image of my beds of the new Confetti Series hellebores…in the Fountain Garden where many of these images were taken. A big step forward in breeding for these beloved “Christmas roses.”

Today I depart for the enchanting gardens of the Lake District of Italy…long overdue and most anticipated (pray the weather warms up a bit…) with promises to bring you many blogs of this special part of Italy…and a return to Villa d’Este after too many years. Ciao!