Month: April 2010
-
Cooking, Ferncliff, Ferns, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, The Seasons, Woodland plants
Well Fiddle-Dee-Dee: Unfurling Spring Pleasures in the Forest at Ferncliff…
Fiddlehead ferns unfurling in the Secret Garden – Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica) Lady fern ‘Lady in Red’ (Athyrium filix feminina), in my garden Oh yes, we are smack-dab-in-the-middle of fiddlehead season here in the Northeast; one of spring’s most delightful and ephemeral pleasures at my forest home in Vermont. Here on my ledgy site, Ostrich ferns, […]
Read More -
Ferncliff, Films, Full Moon, Nature, The Seasons
In Celebration of the Much Anticipated Pink Moon of April…
Narcissus – Photograph © 2010, Michaela at TGE Last Night’s Full, Pink Moon Rising… April’s full moon is traditionally referred to as the Pink Moon. Indeed, cerise does seem to be the color of the month, with the flowers of wild ground phlox, (sometimes called moss phlox), viburnum, cherry and apple blossoms and countless other […]
Read More -
Garden Maintenance, Garden Seminars, garden tools, Japanese Maple, pruning, Roses, shrubs, Trees, Woody Plants
Prune in June? Well, Sometimes. Wondering What, When and How to Prune? The Basics of Pruning: A Weekend Workshop and a Giveaway…
Horizontal juniper, (photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE), pruned to highlight stonework and clay pot focal point… Japanese maple, (photo © Michaela at TGE), pruned to arch over the Secret Garden doorway… Microbiota decussata, (Siberian cypress), (photo © Michaela at TGE), pruned to highlight the edge of a walkway… Pruning: Why, when, how and what? […]
Read More -
Ferncliff, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Old Fashioned Flowers, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
No Shrinking Violet: North American Native, Lovely Viola Labradorica…
Viola labradorica, (photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE), North American native Labrador violet… They say that Elizabeth Taylor once drew her lovers in with the flutter of her dark lashes and a passing glance from her violet-hued eyes. I have never seen eyes tinted in such a rich color, but I am sure that they […]
Read More -
Ground Covers, rock garden plants, scree gardens, shrubs, Woody Plants
Love on the Rocks: Blushing Spring Heath Sprawls Across the Ledges
Erica carnea (Spring Heath) blooms on the ledges in April When you live on a ledgy, wind-swept hilltop, in a somewhat gothic, romantically-remote location, I suppose you are bound to invite a few Wuthering Heights comparisons now and again. Add mass plantings of erica and calluna and well, you are practically begging your bookish friends to […]
Read More -
Dark flowers, Ferncliff, Garden Design, Ground Covers, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant hunting, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shade Gardening, The Seasons, Winter Garden, Woodland plants
Lovely Lenten Rose: The Secret Garden’s First Blossom of Springtime …
Helleborus x hybridus © Michaela at TGE Delicate, feminine, mysterious and shy; while it’s true that these words perfectly describe the beautiful Lenten Rose, there is so much more to this gorgeous harbinger of springtime. I could just as easily describe her -much less romantically- as strong, reliable and tenacious. Helleborus x hybridus, known more […]
Read More -
Garden Maintenance, Garden Science, Garden Seminars, garden tools, Great Growers and Nurseries, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Planting Techniques, pruning
Waking Up the Garden in Spring …. Free Seminar at Walker Farm in Dummerston, Vermont – Tomorrow…
Early risers: Glory of the snow blooming this month in my garden… Will you be in the Southern Vermont area this weekend? If so, please join me this Saturday morning at 9:30 for the first in a series of free gardening seminars at Walker Farm in Dummerston, Vermont. “Waking Up the Garden in Spring” covers […]
Read More -
Annual Flowers, annuals, Bulbs, companion planting, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, Dark flowers, Dried Flowers, Fresh Cut Flowers
A Garden for Cutting – Part One: Planning for Fresh Cut Flowers in the Kitchen Garden…
Zinnia and Dahlia © 2009 Tim Geiss Some of my gardening friends never cut flowers. I have one friend who grows very few blooming plants, and she prefers to keep her limited flowers on display in the landscape. Other friends have told me that the constant snipping of stems and changing of water becomes a […]
Read More -
Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening
A Coffee Break with Kick! Lee Bailey’s Sour Cream Corn Bread with Onions, Cheddar and Optional Hot Peppers…
Lee Bailey’s Sour Cream and Cheddar Corn Bread with Onions – Photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE Oochie, Owie, Yowie. Those are my  biceps, triceps and trapezoids speaking. They have been getting quite the workout. Gardening can be physically intense, and I work up a serious appetite raking, dragging debris and edging my client’s gardens. I also […]
Read More -
Garden Science, Garlic, Gourmet Garden, organic gardening, Planting Techniques, soil science, Vegetable Gardening
Is It Time Yet? Getting a Jump-Start on the Vegetable Growing Season………. {Plus a Special Anniversary Give-Away}
Herbs and vegetables acclimating to conditions in the great outdoors before planting. A process known as “hardening off”… Well here we are in early April, and it’s finally almost-but not-quite-growing-season. What, you say, is she talking about? Why, haven’t you heard of almost-but-not-quite-growing-season? You see, this is the time of year when people start to […]
Read More -
Garden Maintenance, garden tools, Gifts for Gardeners, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons
Smooth Moves: Gliding Through Spring Cleanup with a Sweet Adjustable Rake. Tool Talk Part Two…
Cleaning Up Without Damaging Bulbs (After photo) Cleaning up with an adjustable rake pulled to a tight setting (During) OK. So I am feeling a little sore tonight. I admit it. Shoulders; triceps; middle back = Ouch. I have been busy with spring clean up in a few of my client’s gardens, among them, the […]
Read More -
Bulbs, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cooking, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Gifts for Gardeners, Home, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Mimosa Pour Moi? Oui, Oui, Oui. Sunday Afternoon Delights in the Early Spring Garden…
La Mimosa de Minneola de Michaela Could there possibly be a more lovely weekend for Easter Egg hunts, Sunday brunches, garden strolls and chilled mimosas? I think not. Here in New England the weather is simply spectacular, and swollen flower buds are bursting open to greet the glorious day. The pink bodnant viburnum ‘Dawn’ at […]
Read More -
Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bulbs, Celebrations, Ferncliff, Frogs and Toads, Nature, Reflections, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Water Features
A Year in the Life of a Gardener: Celebrating Our First Anniversary and Giving Thanks to All of You…
Snowdrop I © 2010 Michaela at TGE – all rights reserved One year ago this month, I started keeping an online journal -somewhat sporadically at first- and I named it The Gardener’s Eden. What began as a labor of love, and a way to share information with my gardening friends and clients, has quickly blossomed […]
Read More