Month: May 2011
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Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, The Seasons, Tim Geiss, Trees, Trees for Fall Foliage, Trees for Fruit, Uncategorized, Winter Garden, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Native Beauty of the Forest Understory: Our Graceful, Flowering Dogwood …
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) Photograph â“’Â Tim Geiss In my work as a garden designer, I am constantly singing the praises of native plants to my clients; encouraging them to soften the edges of their landscape by blurring the boundary between the wild and tame. As an unofficial PR agent for our beautiful  native trees and […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Caterpillars, flowering shrubs, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Insects/Entomology, Syringa (French Lilac Hybrids), Syringa vulgaris
Of Sunshine and Swallowtail Butterflies…
A Perfect Spot for Sampling Lilac Nectar – An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) on Syringa vulgaris ‘Mme. Lemoine’ Sunshine at last! Finally, after weeks of rain and fog, golden light returned to the garden this week. And suddenly, the sultry air is filled with Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies —bright as the sun itself— fluttering about […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Berries, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds
Sitting in the Catbird Seat …
Sitting in the Catbird Seat: My Resident Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) There’s a broken branch in my doublefile viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’). The leafless eyesore is driving me crazy —this otherwise beautiful shrub sits right outside my kitchen window— but I’m not going to prune it. No, I won’t touch it, because it […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Artful Garden Objects, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds, Color in the Garden, Dining Outdoors, Ferncliff, Fun in the Garden, Furniture, Garden Art, Garden Design, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
A Long Weekend in the Garden & Breakfast on the Misty Terrace …
Fallen Silverbells and Breakfast on the Terrace A Pot Filled with Calibrachoa ‘Callie Orange’ Brightens the Morning And a Bottomless Cup of Coffee & Bright Red Chair Help to Wake the Sleepy Gardener There’s much work to do in my garden this weekend. I’ve annuals and vegetable starts to plant out in the potager and […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Dining Outdoors, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Ferncliff, Flowering Trees, Foliage, Garden Design, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Nature, North American Trees, Plant Spotlight, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Springtime’s Shimmering Silverbells: Halesia tetraptera in Full Bloom…
Carolina Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera) Carolina Silverbell Blossoms Attract Bumble Bees and Hummingbirds Looking up from the Terrace Dining Table, Into Thousands of Tiny White Bells Halesia tetraptera When it comes to the springtime show in my garden, Carolina Silverbell really knows how to steal the stage. Smothered in […]
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Old Fashioned Flowers, Syringa vulgaris
Hedonistic Garden Pleasures: Lilac Lust
Fresh Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris): the Fragrance of Springtime Lilacs, Lily of the Valley,Viburnum, Daphne and Woodland Phlox; the fragrance of springtime swirls about me throughout the day as I tend to my work. One of my newer projects is a garden restoration and renovation. Oh how I love this detail. Ancient lilacs tower above me […]
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Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, Native Plants, Nature, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for Spring, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Texture, Unusual Plants, Urns and Vessels, Water Gardens, Woodland plants
Dramatic Darmera Peltata: A Native Beauty for Bog Gardens & Damp Shade…
Darmera peltata’s pretty, pink spray of airy inflorescence Darmera peltata… What a lovely, musical name. Often the botanical labels for plants pale by comparison to their intriguing and creative folk monikers. But in this case, I think the name Darmera peltata is far superior to the common alternatives (Indian rhubarb and umbrella plant). Just look […]
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Annual Flowering Vines, Annual Flowers, annuals, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Butterflies and Moths, Cocktails, Color in the Garden, Container Gardening, Cookbooks, Cooking, Cooking with Kids, Flower arrangements, Garden Party, Garden projects for kids, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Indoor Table Arrangements
A Visual Feast: Beautiful, Edible Flowers
Pansies (Viola × wittrockiana) are lovely atop cakes, in salads and especially when floating in cocktails… Or Cocktails, Like this Sunset Mangotini (click here for recipe) (Viola × wittrockiana ‘Matrix Purple’) Candied rose petals, lavender ice cream, hibiscus tea, chocolate cupcakes laced with violets; some flowers are more than a visual feast, they’re actually good […]
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Climbing plants, Dan Snow Stonework, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, Furniture, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, ornamental grass, Paths and Walkways, Perennials : Vermont, Perennials for Spring, Plants for shade, Pots, Pots and Pottery, Rare Plants, Reflections, scree gardens, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, The Seasons, Woodland plants
A Peek Inside the Misty Moss Walls: Springtime in the Secret Garden …
By May, a cool tapestry of springtime color carpets the Secret Garden path… This week my design studio and office began slowly migrating back down to the Secret Garden Room, where plants and paperwork happily mingle from late spring through early November. Each day on my way to and from appointments, I pass through the […]
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Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials : Vermont, Perennials for Spring, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, Uncategorized, Woodland plants
Lovely, Lavender Lady of the Shadows: The Japanese Wood Poppy Blossoms in The Secret Garden…
Glaucidium palmatum, the Japanese Wood Poppy in my Secret Garden today At times, it felt like a never-ending courtship. I prepared a special spot for her beside the wall; moist, mossy and protected from harsh sunlight and drying winds. I surrounded her with complimentary beauties; maroon leaves and burgundy-tipped ferns. I gave her the darkest, […]
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Apples, Fruit for home gardens, Fruit Trees, Orchards / Orchard Keeping
A Stroll Through the Blossom-Laden Apple Trees & Petal-Strewn Paths … Scott Farm & Springtime in Vermont
The Gardener on a Rainy Day Stroll Though the Blossom-Filled Orchard at Beautiful Scott Farm in Southern Vermont Delicate, Pink-Tinted Heirloom Apple Blossoms Perfume the Damp Air The Orchard and Misty Mountain View at Scott Farm A busy, wet morning gave way to a brief window of opportunity between showers. With a list of errands and […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance
Maintaining Defined Beds & Borders: English-Style Edging is the Secret to Elegantly Dividing Lawn and Garden
 One of my client’s gardens: simple and classic cottage design in springtime with  a crisply edged border and dark, shredded bark mulch Later in the season: perennials, herbs and annuals spill casually over the edged border. This garden’s edge holds even with no summer maintenance. I snapped the top photograph above while working at my long-time gardening […]
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Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance
A Beautiful Garden & Time to Enjoy It: Low Maintenance Landscape Design… Free Saturday Seminar at Walker Farm
Maintenance. I’m going to be honest: if you want a beautiful garden, there’s just no way around certain chores. But in spite of the fact that every landscape requires some upkeep, there are an almost endless number of ways to design and plant gardens to reduce labor while enhancing four-season interest. In my fifteen years […]
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Cooking, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Rainy Day Musings & Beautiful Colors… Sauteed Beet Greens with Caramelized Onions, Balsamic Vinegar and Pine Nuts
Sauteed Beet Greens with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic Vinegar Rainy days, slow and soft. With deadlines looming and a long list of chores to complete; must confess I feel a twinge of guilt when allowing myself an afternoon of luxury in the middle of a busy season. But it sure feels good. The sound of […]
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Farm Events, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Visits, Gardening Inspiration, Massachusetts, New England, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Inspiration: Cottage-Style Charm… Flowers, Fruit & Vegetables Combine With Whimsical Touches to Create a Colorful, Welcoming Potager…
A Riot of Annuals (Mixed Zinna) Creates a Bold Splash of Color in the Center of Carol Hillman’s Country Potager One of my favorite, near-by New England farms is a one-hundred-and-twenty-five year old orchard, belonging to the owners of New Salem Preserves, Carol Hillman and Robert Colnes. Together, this couple has created a beautiful homestead, […]
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Dan Snow Stonework, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, Ferns, flowering shrubs, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, Shrubs for early spring blossoms, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Ephemerals, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Steps and Stairs - Stone, Stone Walkways, stonework, Woodland plants
The Moment of Spring: A Walk Along The Secret Garden Path in Magical May
Pretty is the Cool Morning Mist; Softening the Landscape and Intensifying the Fragrance of Springtime So busy is the month of May… Days pass so quickly, I can barely remember to flip the pages of my desktop calendar. Things in the garden change rapidly from day to day, and I try to take a different […]
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Dining Outdoors, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Dining Rooms, Garden Rooms, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Herb Gardening, Kitchen, Uncategorized, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Designing an Enchanting Edible Garden And a Workshop for Vegetable Lovers…
My Backyard Potager – An Edible Oasis in Mid-July Like a butterfly flitting about the garden before deciding where to settle, I found myself drifting in and out of greenhouses and garden centers last weekend, ogling possible additions to my backyard potager. I couldn’t help but notice that the aisles of my favorite farm stand […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Color in the Garden, Container Gardening, Decorating the Garden, Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance, Gardening Inspiration, Glamorous Gardens, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Inspirational Gardens, Organic Insect Control, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Pots, Pots and Pottery, pruning, scree gardens, Succulents, Succulents in Containers, Texture
Un-Flower Pots: Designing & Caring for Spectacular Succulent Container Gardens
Beautiful Container Gardens are all about Color, Form and Texture. Great Designers Work with both Contrasts and Harmonies to Create Stunning Results. Hanging basket available at Walker Farm. Saturday morning I spent the better part of an hour and a half listening to enthusiastic oohs and ahhs at Walker Farm’s Succulent Container Gardening & Hanging […]
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Cocktails, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
A Toast to Mothers Everywhere: Celebrate Mom’s Special Day with a Spiced Rhubarb Bellini …
Rhubarb Bellini with Warm Spices I remember the first time I tasted raw rhubarb. As many of you will likely remember from previous posts, my family raised strawberries, and in mid to late spring, strawberries and rhubarb go hand-in-hand. I never paid the perennial patch of rhubarb much attention, but one day —while out in […]
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cactus, Container Gardening, Decorating Ideas, Garden Design Photos
It’s Fiesta Time! Add a Cactus Bowl Centerpiece to the Cinco de Mayo Party
Cactus bowl centerpiece with desert rocks and decorative straw flowers… It’s fiesta time in my kitchen. I am planning a holiday party with a menu of Mexican-inspired dishes. To set the mood for margarita sipping and chip dipping, I decided to create a celebratory cactus-bowl centerpiece. Making a dry, table-top garden filled with desert plants […]
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Color in the Garden, Container Gardening, Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Seminars, Succulents, Succulents in Containers, Un-Flower Pots, Unusual Plants, Urns and Vessels
Behold the Brilliant, Jewel-Like Treasures! How Will I Contain Myself? Playing with Pots: An Annual Obsession
Echeveria ‘The Pearl’, Kalanchoe pumila and Portulacaria afra variegata – An indoor garden pot, slowly acclimates to the great outdoors on my steel balcony It’s an annual question. How will I contain myself? Although the vast majority of my gardening takes place in the ledgy pockets of soil here on my land, every year I create […]
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