Garden Design Photos
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Color in the Garden, DIY Garden Design, Flowering Trees, Foliage, Fragrance, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, New England, North American Trees
American Yellowwood: The Garden’s Crowning, Golden, October Glory
Cladrastis kentukea: Our Glorious, American Yellowwood Tree I’ve always been baffled by the rarity of American Yellowwood trees in New England gardens. With a glorious canopy of fragrant, cascading white blossoms in May/June, a rounded, full crown of disease-free leaves throughout the summer season and clear, golden fall foliage in late autumn, this tree is […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Flower Seeds, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance
Beyond the Sweater Drawer: Gardening In Layers for Autumn Color & Texture
Stunning Abelia mosanensis, Backed Up by Lovely Lindera benzoin and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’, Together in a Stellar Second Act.  Getting dressed for October weather in New England usually involves a tank top, t-shirt, bright sweater and weatherproof jacket. As the season grows colder, this list grows to include colorful wool socks, hat, scarf, gloves and […]
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Bulb companions, Bulbs, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Conservatory, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Flower arrangements, Flower Shows, flowering shrubs, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fragrance, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Glamorous Gardens, Green House Gardens, House Plants, Indoor Eden, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Inspirational Gardens, Lyman Conservatory, MA, Massachusetts, Smith College Botanical Garden, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Springtime
Narcissus, Tulipa & Fragrant Hyacinth: Smith Botanic Garden’s 2018 Bulb Show
Tulipa, Narcissus & Sweetly Fragrant Hyacinth at Lyman Conservatory It’s 3:30 p.m. and snow is falling steadily here in Southern Vermont. The forecast is calling for 5-8Â inches overnight. These late winter storms can really give a gardener the blues, but I knew this nor’easter was coming, so I prepared. Bread and milk? Oh, no, […]
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Books, Container Gardening, Cookbooks, Cooking, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening without Lawn, Herb Gardening
Spring Planning with Rosalind Creasy’s ‘The Edible Herb Garden’
The Edible Herb Garden, Rosalind Creasy It’s late January. The ground is frozen, the hills are grey-brown and the garden is covered in ice. Convincing clients that now is the best time to create a landscape design for spring planting has never been easy. But it’s smart to begin now —when the snow is piled […]
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Books, Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Japanese-inspired Gardens, Stone Sculpture, stonework
Visionary Landscapes: Japanese Garden Design in North America
The calming nature of Zen gardens and the allure of Japanese-style has been enchanting and seducing landscape designers and gardeners throughout the wider world for well over 150 years. Stepping into a Japanese-inspired courtyard is the perfect antidote to a day spent in crowded subways, noisy streets and stressful work environments. We crave quiet and […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Color in the Garden, Conifers, Flower Seeds, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Hardy Succulents, Hoar Frost, Holiday Decorating, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennial Garden Design, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Perennials : Vermont, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for Winter Interest, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Succulents, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening, Woody Plants
Crystal-Coated & Sugar Plum Kissed . . . . Late Night Garden Party with Jack Frost
The Entry Walk and Ledges, Sparkling in Sunlight After Jack Frost’s Midnight Ball I love surprises. A life lived predictably seems terribly boring to me and a garden kept under tight control leaves little room for romance. For months now, I’ve been encouraging readers to leave seed pods and other garden remnants standing over winter […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
Late November’s Smoldering Hues: Radiant Rust, Shimmering Copper, Burnished Bronze & Winter Blonde
Tea Viburnum (V. setigerum) Berries, Dangling Against a Backdrop of Honey-Hued Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis) It’s late November, and the garden is growing quieter now. Gone are the high chrome colors of October, but the show is far from over. Late night visits from Jack Frost and the Sugar Plum Fairy are just beginning; coating […]
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Autumn Garden Chores, Autumn Garden Design, DIY Garden Design, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Perennial Garden Design, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Plant hunting
Beauty by Design: New Gardeners Plant A Welcoming, Four Season Entryway …
Mary Kay & Greg’s Entryway Garden, One Year After Planting. Garden Design: Michaela M. Harlow Season-Spanning Color Lights Up the Stone Entry Steps & Landing. Stonework: Alec Goldschmid. Garden Design: Michaela M. Harlow With Properly Prepared, Edged & Mulched Planting Beds —Provided Here by Turner & Renaud— As Well as Diligent Weeding and Adequate Watering […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
In Late September’s Low Sunlight, Autumn Dons Her Golden Crown . . .
The Garden’s Golden Hour: Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens & Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’ Sunset to twilight: a favorite window of time for a slow garden stroll. Quick, grab a sweater to throw off the chill, and a camera to capture the beauty. Early autumn and the golden hour —a garden drenched in honey-hued light— sweet moments […]
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Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
Beyond the Rain-Streaked Windows . . .
A Blurry Vision of Late-Blooming Perennials Beyond My Windows Rainy days always remind me of how important it is to consider what a garden design will look from inside, as well as from outside of a house. I love feeling like I am part of the natural world, even when I have to be indoors. When […]
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Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Garden Rooms, Paths and Walkways, Stone Walkways, stonework
Endless Summer: A Garden Designed for Season-Spanning Beauty & Interest . . .
Late August in Susan & Bob’s Front Entryway Garden. Geranium ‘Rozanne’ Mass Planted for a Beautiful, Long-Blooming Lavender-Blue-Haze. A Background of Coreopsis, Heuchera micrantha, Echinacea purpurea, Eupatorium maculatum, E. rugosum & Thalictrum, Round Out the Late-Summer Color-Scheme. Ceramic Vessel: Stephen Procter. Endless summer. Yes, I realize the phrase might seem a bit odd for a […]
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Color in the Garden, Container Gardening, Dark Plants, Euphorbias, Exotic Plants, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Hardy Succulents, Paths and Walkways, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Spring, Perennials for summer, Plant Spotlight, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Pots, Succulents, Succulents in Containers, Un-Flower Pots, Unusual Plants
Somewhere Over the Ascot Rainbow, Beyond the Sunset Clouds . . .
Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’ & Sedum telephium ‘Sunset Cloud’ Catch the Morning Light out on My Balcony Oh, delicious, dynamic duo! Clearly, you can see that Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’ and Sedum telephium ‘Sunset Cloud’ are a match made in heaven. But in the late days of spring, this pairing wasn’t so obvious […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Container Gardening, Dark Plants, Exotic Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Perennials for summer, Studio Garden, Succulents, Succulents in Containers
Bye, Bye Boring… Hello Blackbird! Euphorbia Euphoria in Pots
Euphorbia hybrid ‘Blackbird’: Here on the Studio Balcony in an Oxblood Pot with Senecio mandraliscae and Sedum ‘Sunset Cloud’ Oh my, would you look at this smoldering, velvety loveliness! What a dark, gorgeous beauty! From the moment I saw this stunning spurge, my heart went a flutter and all I could think was, “Bye, bye boring […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Books, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Container Gardening, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Pots, Pots and Pottery, Succulents, Succulents in Containers, Un-Flower Pots, Urns and Vessels
Pots in the Garden: Designing, Planting & Placing Containers in the Landscape… Part One: An Introduction to Color!
Weathered to Sweet Perfection: The Red-Orange Hue of an Old Terra Cotta Urn Complements a Carpet of Springtime Blues (Muscari armeniacum in foreground and Phlox divaricata in background) Late spring is the time of year when I begin planting and placing pots in the garden. Over the years, I’ve amassed quite a collection of urns, […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Bulb companions, Bulbs, companion planting, Ferncliff, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Hardy shrubs, Moss, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, New England, Perennials for Spring, Raindrops, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, shrubs, Shrubs for early spring blossoms, Songbirds, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Ephemerals, Spring Flowering Bulbs, stonework, The Seasons, Uncategorized, Witch Alder, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
From April Showers to May Flowers…
Trout lily (Erythronium tuolumnense), Daffodils (Narcissus ‘Snipe’), Coral Bell Leaves (Heuchera americana) and Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata ‘Clouds of Perfume’). (Click here to read more about Erythronium) Happy May Day! Here in Vermont, we begin the new month with a day of much-needed rain. May is a busy month for gardeners. Thirty one days of […]
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Climbing plants, Color in the Garden, Conifers, Decorating Ideas, Decorating the Garden, Ferncliff, Fire Pits, Fire Pits and Fire Sculpture, Flower Seeds, Frost, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Perennials for Winter Interest, Planting Techniques, Plants for Texture, Sculpture, Sculpture and Features, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Shrubs with Textural Bark, Steps and Stairs - Stone, Stone Sculpture, Stone Walkways, stonework, The Seasons, Viburnum, Walkways - Stone, White & Silver, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening, Winter Solstice
Sparkling Texture & Dramatic Structure: Creating A Beautiful Winter Garden …
The Entry Garden at First Light in Early December, After a Dusting of Snow I often wonder why I bother to mourn the end of autumn when there’s so much magic and beauty to be found in the garden during this quiet time of the year. As we near the winter solstice, I find myself […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, Frost, Fun in the Garden, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Glamorous Gardens, Halloween, Home, Late Autumn Garden, Nature, New England, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Shrubs for Winter Interest, The Seasons, Vermont, White Witch, Winter, Winter Garden
The White Witch’s Early Winter Trick: A Morning of Sparkling Autumn Treats
The Trick of Winter: Cornus kousa Fruits & Fall Foliage in Early Snow It seems the White Witch of Winter decided to pay us an early Halloween visit last night. Far more accustomed to her raven-haired sister at this time of year, we were all taken a bit by surprise. And though it’s much too […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Plants for Light Effects, Trees, Trees for Fall Foliage, Wildlife, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Autumn’s Kaleidoscopic Color Wheel: Glorious Patterns & Back-Lit Beauty …
 Purple Beautyberry, Smokebush and Maiden Grass Make a Brilliant Grouping (Callicarpa dichotoma, Cotinus coggygria and Miscanthus) Though it Often Spreads Aggressively, North American Native, Hay Scented Fern (Densntaedtia punctilobula) is a Gorgeous and Durable Ground Cover for Tough, Shady Spaces. Taking My Cue from Mother Nature, I Like to Position this Autumnal Favorite Where it will […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Dahlias, Dark flowers, Foliage, Fun in the Garden, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
In Concert: Fall’s Brilliant Fantasia …
Flames of the Apprentice: Cotinus coggygria (Smokebush) Turns up the Volume on the Mid-October Music For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between color and sound. My mom had a fairly eclectic record collection —from classical to kitsch— and as a child, I loved listening to music while […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Conifers, Garden Design Photos, Naturalistic Garden Design, ornamental grass, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight
Autumn’s Burning Beauty: Flame Grass Heats Up the Mid-October Garden …
Showing Off Ribbon-Candy Colors in My Garden: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’ (Planted with Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’/’Monlo’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ on Left. That’s Rhus typhina, Occurring in a Natural Stand Behind the Border) If you’ve been following this journal for awhile, you are probably quite familiar with my passion for the sensual beauty of ornamental grass […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, Flower Seeds, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance, Meadow Gardens, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, New England, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Perennials for Autumn, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for Texture, Summer flowering shrubs
Heavenly as October Skies at Sunset: ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Aromatic Aster Sparkles in My Autumn Garden …
Raydon’s Favorite aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’/ aka Aster oblongifolius) in the front entry garden in mid-October (Shining gold in the background here: Amsonia hubrichtii and Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’) When it comes to North American native wildflowers, there’s just no way I could ever choose a favorite. My plant infatuations are many; varying […]
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