A Way To Garden

A Way To Garden

'horticultural how-to and woo-woo'
the source of organic gardening inspiration
margaret roach, head gardener

Menu
  • podcast
  • Plants
    • annuals & perennials »
      • groundcovers
    • bulbs
    • trees & shrubs »
      • conifers
      • deciduous
    • vines
    • vegetables
    • tomatoes
    • herbs
    • fruit
    • houseplants
    • taxonomy 101
    • decoding botanical latin
  • recipes
    • soups
    • entrees
    • side dishes
    • salads
    • desserts
    • pickles & condiments
    • freezing & canning
    • baking
    • guest chefs
  • how-to
    • weeds
    • pests & diseases
    • garden prep
    • composting
    • organics
    • pruning
    • garden design
    • from seed »
      • seed starting
    • water gardening
    • shade gardening
    • container gardening
    • lawn care (organic)
    • garden faq’s
    • for beginners
  • nature
    • bird sh-t
    • frogboys
    • insects & worms
    • jack the demon cat
    • mushrooms & other fungi
  • about
    • margaret and her website
    • my public-radio podcast
    • my 2018 garden events
    • my books
    • my email newsletter
    • my garden
    • horticultural ‘woo-woo’
    • sponsorship
    • resource links
  • Home
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Pintrest
    • Feed
    • Podcast
  • my books
  • 2019 garden events
  • when to start seed
  • webinars
  • monthly chores
  • garden faq’s
  • top-50
  • andre jordan doodles
  • slideshows
  • Garden Tools Co

the godlight

Share
Tweet
Pin
0 Shares

godlight11
OVER HERE IN MY CORNER OF THE EARTH we call it the godlight, the kind of light there’s no explaining other than to call it that. That slanted light that makes elongated, high-drama shadows and turns everything warm and glowing. So when it shone the other afternoon I thought hey, let’s just snap and post a photo of the godlight and see if it’s shining anywhere else this spring? Any sightings? (Note: This light is non-denominational, hence the lower-case “g.” All are welcome to witness it. And this photo’s worth clicking, by the way…better bigger.)

Share
Tweet
Pin
0 Shares

Related

Frog with headphones
Don’t Miss Out!

Get my award-winning podcast...

Listen on Apple Podcasts

...and my ribbiting free newsletter.

  • Select Seeds 500 flowers
20 comments
May 24, 2008

comments

  1. Elaine says

    May 24, 2008 at 11:47 am

    Simply breathtaking! Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Reply
  2. Ken Smith says

    May 24, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    I agree with your “godlight” description. I love the tree in the foreground that contrasts against the background that glows in godlight.

    Reply
  3. margaret says

    May 24, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Thanks, Ken, and welcome. I just got my copy of Photoshop Elements 6 in the mail today, so soon I will be able to make the shots look even better, I hope. There are bigger forces than me at work re: the light, but I can do my part to be more technically expert on the upload of my shot of it! Wish me luck.

    Reply
  4. Ken Smith says

    May 24, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    Hello Margaret, you have a great eye for composition. And you are well beyond the point and shoot stage showing your skill at using aperture to highlight foreground and blur b/g as seen in numerous photos. I am not a techy, so I tend to fade when trying to do much in photoshop. But one camera item that is quite handy is the polarizer filter. Highly recommended to help screen out the bounce of light off leaves that detracts from seeing their true colors.

    Reply
  5. Andrew Ritchie says

    May 24, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    All you need now is a choir to herald its arrival…or the opening chords of an Enya track. The godlight is most exceptional at the cottage, where it also has the opportunity to bounce off water.

    Reply
  6. Country gardener says

    May 24, 2008 at 10:02 pm

    I like to call them God-rays. It’s a good name for that lovely side light you get either early in the morning or close to twilight. All my favorite garden pictures are taken at those times of the day. I wish I was better at getting up early though.

    Reply
  7. boodely says

    May 25, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    Makes the heart go “ahhhh…”

    Reply
  8. Lisa in CA says

    May 25, 2008 at 11:06 pm

    I don’t have any photos of it, but I know exactly the type of light you speak of. It bathes everything in a type of ethereal brilliance that just seems otherworldly–almost seems like Technicolor. Your pic is very pretty.

    Reply
  9. Kitt says

    May 26, 2008 at 2:08 am

    That’s lovely. God-light is a nice term for it. It’s especially nice if the day has been overcast and setting sun at last sends its rays beneath the clouds, making everything glow with super-saturated color.

    Then there are what I like to call “Jesus clouds”: big white puffy ones backlit by striated rays. Just add some praying hands in front of them for an inspirational greeting card.

    Reply
  10. Janice says

    May 26, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    What an amazing picture. I have had some godlight sightings in my yard as well. Simply breath taking.

    Reply
  11. margaret says

    May 26, 2008 at 10:41 pm

    Hello to Janice. Am glad to hear the godlight is showing itself elsewhere, too. Don’t want to hog it all myself… ;-)

    Reply
  12. Angela says

    May 28, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    My husband and I were on our land this past weekend (a piece of love/art/hard work in progress) and saw godlight illuminate the cliffs across the river from us. It was enough to cause us to stop for a moment, and remember the reason we fell in love with the place to begin with. Thank you for such an apt description.

    Reply
  13. margaret says

    May 28, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    Welcome, Angela, to A Way to Garden. I love that we are all bathed in it together; so lovely to hear this tale. Thank you.

    Reply
  14. chey says

    June 2, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    Love this shot Margaret. Great description for this type of light.I see it in my yard also, on beautiful evenings.

    Reply
  15. paula says

    June 4, 2008 at 8:33 pm

    My photojournalism professor called the light at morning and evening the sweet light. I have always loved it. Great photo. My Nikon and I spent time in the garden yesterday around dusk.

    Reply
  16. margaret says

    June 4, 2008 at 8:55 pm

    Welcome, Paula, and also thanks for the pathway to your blog, where dogs and tomatoes and basil and handknit socks live happily ever after.

    Reply
  17. andy says

    June 20, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Godlight is a perfect name for that magical light just before dusk. I am a 1954 Virgo and your beautiful picture reminds me of summer evenings, swimming late, going for ice cream with my parents, no school, and the lovely scents from my mom’s gardens. Does godlight invoke any memories for you, Margaret?

    Reply
  18. margaret says

    June 21, 2008 at 5:46 am

    Welcome, Andy, to A Way to Garden. So you are just a couple of months younger than I am (’54 Gemini here). All of your memories are ones I share, though it was my Grandmother who did the gardening in our case. And one more: Those big blue and white bags of Kingsford charcoal briquets. My Dad would take out just enough, and stack them in a pyramid in the bbq and light it with a splash of fluid, then grill something for dinner.

    Reply
  19. Marian Furey says

    July 10, 2008 at 7:33 am

    I have seen this light! The first slant of morning sun through the dewy white pines(for some reason hated in my neighborhood now).It’s a shimmering swirl of symmetry…what did Kilmer say…”Only God can make a tree”!

    Reply
  20. margaret says

    July 10, 2008 at 11:20 am

    Welcome, Marian. I am glad to hear that you, too, have shared this incredible light at your place. Hope to see you (and it) again soon.

    Reply

leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

facebook-1

Podcast: Soups, Soups & More Soups

I’VE FOLLOWED a vegetarian diet for decades, but it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I mastered a really good vegetable soup. Now I’m learning variations on vegetable-based soups, plus ones with beans and even ideas for mushroom soups, too–all thanks to Alexandra Stafford and these recipes. (Stream it below, read the transcript or subscribe free.)

https://robinhoodradioondemand.com/podcast-player/6211/vegetable-soup-ideas-with-ali-stafford-november-5-a-way-to-garden-with-margaret-roach.mp3

Margaret Recommends

My picks of garden gear, books, and mulch, mulch more, all things I use myself. (Disclosure: includes affiliate links.)

FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

  • Avant Gardens rare plants
  • Brushwood Clematis

READ MY BOOKS?

  • margaret's latest book
  • Margaret's dropout memoir

RECENT FAVORITES

  • seed-starting basics, a q&a with ken druse
  • direct sow or not, perennials from seed & more: q&a with ken druse
  • pollinator plants to make room for, with uprising seeds’ brian campbell
  • 6 easiest orchids to grow, with longwood’s greg griffis
  • the february garden chores
  • when to start seed
  • recipe: baking up some heirloom beans
  • best garden design advice of 2018: signature style, making tapestries and more
  • it’s edemental! gorgeous, delicious grains for the garden, with sarah kleeger
  • spring will come (and so will my new old book, ‘a way to garden’)
Load More...Follow on Instagram

SEARCH ANY TOPIC

Welcome! I’m Margaret Roach, a leading garden writer for 25 years—at ‘Martha Stewart Living,’ ‘Newsday,’ and in three books. I host a public-radio podcast; I also lecture, plus hold tours at my 2.3-acre Hudson Valley (NY) Zone 5B garden, and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants.

  • © 2008-2019, Margaret Roach Inc.

  • contact
  • sponsorship
  • privacy policy
  • terms of use
built by WebDevStudios; design by Kenneth B Smith