Garden Design
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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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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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Early spring flowering plants, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Hamamelis, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, New England, Shrubs for early spring blossoms, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Witch hazel, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Forward March: Signs of a New Season
Vernal Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) greets the sun Although it’s a mostly-winter month —and oh how I dread the lion’s roar!— March is filled with the promise of springtime. Witch Hazel, Pussy Willow, Spring Heath, Snowdrops, Crocus: everywhere I look, the signs appear! And so I venture forth, into the garden, calling out the lamb. […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Baking, Color in the Garden, Cookbooks, Cooking, Cooking with Kids, Decorating the Garden, Garden Design, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Pollinating Insects, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Designing Spring’s Prettiest Potager & Rosalind Creasy’s ‘Edible Flower Garden’
Rosalind Creasy’s The Edible Flower Garden When you begin plotting out your spring vegetable garden, do you include space for edible flowers in your planting plan? Wait, did I just say edible flowers? Indeed I did. Gourmet gardeners will already be familiar with the delicious flavor of stuffed squash blossoms and the zing of spicy […]
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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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Asian Natives, Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Color in the Garden, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Shrubs for fall color, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Enkianthus campanulatas ‘Red Bells’ Rings with Rosy, Late Spring Blossoms & Glorious Beauty Beyond Bloom . . .
 Enkianthus campanulatas ‘Red Bells’ with Baptisia australis, blooming in the background June is a fantastic month for flowers. Everywhere you look —from sunny meadows to shady nooks— something seems to be blooming. At this time of year, many gardeners spend their weekend hours strolling through nursery rows, choosing blooming plants based upon their flower color. […]
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Early Spring Maintenance, Garden Design, Garden Maintenance, garden tools
Cutting Edge Garden Maintenance: Sharply Defining Beds & Borders . . .
 Cleanly cutting the edge of a border with a half-moon edger, and mulching the “V”, helps with maintenance throughout the growing year {Pictured: a client’s newly planted garden with English-style edging. Pretty vessel is by Vermont artist, Stephen Procter} Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and every gardener has their own, unique preference […]
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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, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Caterpillars, flowering shrubs, Flowering Trees, Garden Design, Hummingbird Moth, Hummingbird/Butterfly
In Praise of the Poetic Papillon: Attracting Butterflies, Moths & Other Pollinators to the Garden…
Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly (Limenitis arthemis) in My Wildflower Meadow, Visiting Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus) on Lilac Blossoms (Syringa vulgaris ‘Mme. Lemoine’ ) in My Garden- Read More About This Lovely Butterfly in My Previous Post by Clicking Here. Fritillary on Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) – Read More About This […]
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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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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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