Who’s this?
A photographer from St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles Magazine! A photoshoot in our garden!
A great shot!
The photographer showed me some of the images on her camera’s screen; they were unbelievable! She said it’s all about the lens.
We got the garden in tip-top shape for the shoot.
Onions, lemon cucumbers and tomatoes (and water flavored with slices of lemon cucumber)
We made dorodango for the tomato stakes!
The Spy and I rolled these balls from clay/dirt from our garden in about twenty minutes. We have high hopes for making some true dorodangos, but these added a little something extra to the tomato patch for the shoot!
The photographer said she had never seen a chrysalis like this before (I’d love to see the photo she took of it!)
Smoochie and the Spy found this butterfly cocoon (aka chrysalis) when trimming some tree branches next to the garden. We carefully attached it to a cut stalk of a sunflower (with some spiderweb thread I collected!)
…and propped it up in the shade in the garden “corner office”.
and yesterday it hatched a monarch butterfly! We still have the empty chrysalis. My photos really do not do the chrysalis justice; it was opalescent shades of blue and green with the shadows of butterfly wings beneath and accents of (what looked like) 24 karat gold: amazing!
Can you make out the monarch wing details?
The day of the shoot (Wednesday, August 20th) it was overcast and completely flat light all day. Just before the photographer arrived, the sun came out and cast it’s long, late-afternoon rays crisply through the garden.
The Reef
Blackberries Blushing
Corn and Sunflowers
Two Sunflowers
Sunflowers have so much…
…personality…
Don’t you think?
Facing Northwest
Facing North
Hanging Rouge Vif d’Etampes Pumpkin
Another Rouge Vif d’Etampes
Whew! That was a lot of edging and weeding!
We also added some mums and asters for a bit more color.
Can you spot Baby?
Asters
Marigolds Decorating the Trellis
“Rosita” Eggplant
This area in the foreground is where the melons were and now where winter greens have been planted.
More of the kids…
…being cute and…
photogenic!
I will be sure to let you all know when Spy Garden is featured in the magazine (it may not be until fall 2015).The glossy magazine world is a lot less instantly gratifying as glog-world, right?! So exciting and fun to share the behind-the-scenes with you all, if well before the publish date! Hope you are having a great weekend!
wow! Your garden looks fantastic! How fun to be photographed. Can’t wait to see the final pictures (eventually)!
They actually contacted me already and decided to put it in the Nov/Dec issue!! I will be sure to post a link to the digital copy when it comes out!
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This is so exciting! The garden and kids look great – did you allow yourself in the photos? :-)
Nope no photos of me! Maintaining my anonymity even in glossy print :)
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Beautiful children. Beautiful garden. Congrats
Thanks! ;)
I am following a famous garden blog! That crysalis was amazing. How gorgeous that a big beautiful Monarch butterfly decided to land in Spy Garden and leave it’s mark on your gorgeous sunflowers :). Magazine shoots, crysalises made of gold and purest green, clean and tidy (and well behaved no doubt) Spy children and a garden that looks magical…what a magnificent summer you have had Spy Family :)
Wooo garden fame! hahah The pictures really don’t do the chrysalis justice, I should’ve been more patient with shooting it and getting a crisper image…next time! Thanks for your kind words. It has been a great summer;)
I really loved that image of the chrysalis with that blue pot (whatever it was) gorgeous shot :)
Congratulations!!! What an honor; I can’t wait to see the final spread! Your garden is gorgeous always, but there really is something about a newly weeded and spiffed up garden that beautiful on so many levels. You can definitely tell how much you guys pour your hearts and souls into your garden. Love it!
Thanks! Yes, it was pretty exciting to be sharing the garden in a new way. Garden spiffing is tough, but oh-so-rewarding work ;)
What lovely fun! Congratulations on your photo shoot! From the looks of these, you earned it! Best, Vivian
Thanks!!