When I got up yesterday morning, I was greeted with this almost mystical vision of sun rays over our shade garden.  A very special moment which I’m happy (and surprised) to have been able to capture on camera.

Unseen just to the right in the picture is a small clump of spigelia, also known as Indian Pink, which bloomed in the past several days after a two year effort.  The original seedlings were eaten back to the ground by some critter, but they came back this year and hopefully will continue to expand.  I grew a clump in New Jersey, but most people down here seem not to know it, even though it is considered a native plant from the Mid-Atlantic states down to the Smokies.  It’s definitely one of my garden favorites, and I think the pictures below will explain why.