Month: June 2010
-
Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Cutting Garden, Ferncliff, Fresh Cut Flowers, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Native Plants, Old Fashioned Flowers, ornamental grass, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Summer Flowering Combinations, Summer Flowering Perennials
Penstemon, Rudbeckia and Veronica: An Easy, Breezy, Flowering Combination for Mid-Summer Meadow Gardens…
A Sunny Combination of Meadow Flowers for a Long-Blooming, Informal Summer Garden. Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE Bees buzzing in the garden, sun-tea brewing on the terrace, and books piled high beside the hammock; sweet summertime is here at last. I love waking up to early morning sunshine playing upon the warm, summery colors in […]
Read More -
Annual Flowers, annuals, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, Foliage, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Indoor Table Arrangements, Old Fashioned Flowers, Roses, Vases
I’ve Got Blooms on the Brain: Tips for Snipping & Clipping Fresh Cut Flowers…
Fresh cut, country-casual flowers on the kitchen island. Photo â“’ 2010 Michaela at TGE Is there anything sweeter than waking up to the scent of fresh flowers? I love setting a vase of blossoms beside my bed every evening, and my kitchen and dining room table are always dressed for dinner with a fresh bouquet. […]
Read More -
Cooking, Garlic, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Kitchen, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
It’s Time for the Great Scape: Harvesting And Enjoying Flavorful Garlic Greens…
Scapes forming on hard neck garlic in my potager… Curious looking things aren’t they, the garlic scapes? In fact, whenever I look at them, I can’t help but think of ET. You do remember ET, don’t you? The friendly little alien flying around on a bicycle, trying to phone home? Of course you do. I […]
Read More -
Celebrations, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Herb Gardening, History in the Garden, Summer Solstice, The Seasons
Dreams on a Midsummer Night’s Eve & Fragrant Bouquets Beneath Pillows…
A Midsummer Night’s Bouquet for Beneath the Pillow â“’ 2010 Michaela at TGE “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.” – William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act ii, Scene 1 Gathering the Ingredients for […]
Read More -
Color in the Garden, companion planting, Ferncliff, Ferns, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, Late Autumn Garden, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for summer, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Restful Rodgersia: A Tall, Dramatic Beauty for Secret, Shadowy Nooks and Damp, Dappled Shade…
Rodgersia aesculifolia in the Secret Garden with Matteuccia struthiopteris and Heuchera – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE Although you will usually find Rodgersia hiding out in dappled corners, boggy nooks and shadowy glens, it’s not because she’s exactly shy. In fact, when you stop to consider her dramatic foliage and statuesque size, Rodgersia is really […]
Read More -
Celebrations, Cocktails, Home, Recipes, Summer Solstice, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
Welcome Summer! Greeting the Solstice: Sweet Memories, Beautiful Dreams, Stylish Cocktails and Festive Sparkles…
Sunset Mangotini – The Perfect Drink for the Longest Day of the Year… Â Photograph â“’ Michaela at TGE Solstice memories. It was the longest day of the year -and I was eight years old- when I snuck out on a stylin’ new, metallic-orange bicycle for my first unauthorized ride. Off, down the long bumpy driveway […]
Read More -
Celebrations, Garden Maintenance, garden tools, Gifts for Gardeners, Lawns, Paths and Walkways, Reel-Style Lawn Mowers
Father’s Day Post Leads to Old Fashioned Push Mower Shopping… Thanks Dad! Happy Father’s Day!
Detail from a Schlitz beer ad, circa 1950 It all started innocently enough. This morning I wanted to publish a quick ‘Happy Father’s Day’ post for all the dads out there. My dad has always been a fabulous gardener, expert berry grower and lover of native plants and trees… But he hated mowing the lawn. […]
Read More -
Cookbooks, Cooking, Garlic, Plant Spotlight, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Quickie Dinner? Fresh from the Garden? Penne with Oven-Roasted Broccoli…
Penne with Oven-Roasted Broccoli – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I have been stalking the broccoli in my garden for more than two weeks. The weather in New England at this time of year is prone to wild mood swings -one minute it’s hot and humid […]
Read More -
Gourmet Garden, organic gardening, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
From Verdant Shades to Violet Hues: The Potager is Beginning to Look Beautiful, Bountiful and Very, Very Veggie…
Beautiful Broccoli © 2010 Michaela at TGE… Every morning now, when I stroll through the vegetable garden on my early rounds -coffee in hand and pets in tow- I am astonished by how much the summer crops have grown in just one short month since planting. And no matter how groggy, or harried, or pressured […]
Read More -
Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Paths, Gardening without Lawn, Hardy shrubs, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Plant Spotlight, Summer flowering shrubs, Woody Plants
Isn’t She Pretty in Pink? A Peek at a Few of June’s Blushing Young Beauties: Mountain Laurel, Lupine, Indigofera, and More…
Kalmia latifolia ‘Pink Charm’ with Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland’s Gold’ and Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’ in the background, and Rudbeckia hirta and Miscanthus in the foreground… Garden Design and Photo © Michaela at TGE Kalmia latifolia ‘Pink Charm’ – Photo © Michaela at TGE Kalmia latifolia ‘Pink Charm’ in the Entry Garden – Design and Photo […]
Read More -
Fantasy Flowers, Flower arrangements, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Glamorous Gardens, Gothic Garden, History in the Garden, Old Fashioned Flowers, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Victorian Flowers
Time Standing Still: The Immortal Beauty of Duchesse de Nemours and the Pleasure of Peonies in June…
Creamy white Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ picks up some blush from pink-tinged ‘Mother’s Choice’ and an unidentified rose-red cultivar. Vase by Aletha Soulé. Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ © 2010 Michaela at TGE Oh, Victorie Augusta Antonia de Saxe-Coburg-Gotha -better known as the Duchesse de Nemours– you must have been an extraordinary woman to […]
Read More -
Berries, Books, Children and Gardening, Cooking, Fruit for home gardens, Fun in the Garden, Garden projects for kids, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Perennial Close-Ups, Recipes, strawberries, The Seasons, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
The Strawberry Shortcake Facial – A (Mostly-True) Country Girl Story, Where Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest Meet Fruit Mush. Plus, a Really Great Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake. I Swear…
Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Butter Biscuits… I grew up in a strawberry patch. Yes, I mean that literally. My family grew and sold organic berries, and when I was a kid, my sister and I spent many hours in the strawberry fields picking and tending the crops. Once you’re a grownup, this sounds pretty idyllic. […]
Read More -
annuals, Artful Garden Objects, Container Gardening, Exotic Plants, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, ornamental grass, Ornamental Grass in Containers, Plant Spotlight, Pots, Pots and Pottery, Purple and Maroon Foliage, scree gardens, Succulents, Succulents in Containers
Un-Flower Pots: Modern Ideas for Low Maintenance Container Gardens…
Sempervivum ‘Purple Beauty’ (Hens and Chicks) and Haworthia in a Glazed Pot with River Stone Accents, Design and Photograph © Michaela at TGE Although I have an unabashed love of colorful, fragrant blossoms, flowering plants aren’t ideal in all garden situations and circumstances. At times, I reach for the color, texture, form and/or movement of […]
Read More -
Garden Paths, Public Gardens, Stone Walkways, stonework, Walkways - Stone
Setting the Pace of the Stroll with Stepping Stone Paths and Walkways…
Stepping stone path designed and installed by artist Dan Snow, in a garden of my own design at Ferncliff. Photo © Michaela at TGE We’ve all heard that the beauty and meaning of life is usually found in the journey, not in the destination. I’m a great believer in this way of looking at things, […]
Read More -
Beneficial Animals and Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Hardy shrubs, shrubs, Summer flowering shrubs, Weigela, Woody Plants
Seduced by the Charms of Old Fashioned Flowering Weigela…
Weigela florida ‘Red Prince’ tumbles over the wall at Ferncliff, spilling blossoms into the Secret Garden below. Stonework by Vermont artist Dan Snow… To look at the voluminous cascade of crimson blossoms spilling over my Secret Garden wall this week, you’d never guess that this Red Prince (Weigela florida)Â is positioned in the toughest, most exposed […]
Read More -
Art Inspired by Nature, Artful Garden Objects, Cutting Garden, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Gifts for Gardeners, Indoor Table Arrangements, Vases
Bringing Nature’s Beauty Indoors: Clustered Vases Beside the Laptop…
Clustered vases filled with Lupine, Phlox, Valerian, and Rosa de Rescht. Photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE Whew. It has been busy around here. Most days I am out and about in the field working with clients, gathering plants, making deliveries, planting gardens, and lately, helping out my friends at Walker Farm on the weekends […]
Read More -
companion planting, Garden Maintenance, Garden Science, organic gardening, Plant Propagation, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Seeds, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager, Weeds and Weeding
I Know They Are In There Somewhere! Companion Planting in the Vegetable Garden: Guest Post by John Miller of The Old School House Plantery…
Radishes and Carrots Together Again at the Market, (photo © Michaela TGE) “They”, in this instance, being carrots and parsnips. In my previous post I mentioned how farmers use plug sown onion transplants to overcome the problems associated with the slow germination time of onions. Onions are not the only vegetables that exhibit long germination […]
Read More