Native Plants
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Berries, Birds, Blueberries - growing tips, Cooking, flowering shrubs, Fruit for home gardens, Garden Design, Garden Science, Gourmet Garden, Ground Covers, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Organic Disease Control, organic gardening, Plant Science, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, pruning, Recipes, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Vaccinium, Vegetable Gardening, Woody Plants
A Rhapsody in Blue: Selecting and Planting Vaccinium corymbosum, (Highbush Blueberry), Plus a Favorite Recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Bread…
A Rhapsody in Blue What would you say if I told you that I know of an amazing cold-hardy shrub, with creamy, bell-like spring flowers, glossy green leaves, brilliant fall foliage, colorful winter stems and an attractive, well-rounded form? Interested yet? It may come as a surprise that the shrub I am describing is none […]
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Aletha Soule, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds, Children - gardening with, Cutting Garden, flowering shrubs, Flowering Shrubs and Trees for Forced Flowers, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fresh Cut Flowers, Garden projects for kids, Garden Science, Home, Indoor Table Arrangements, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Nature, North American Trees, Plant hunting, Plant Propagation, Plant Spotlight, Plants for Texture, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs/Trees for Forced Flowers, The Seasons, Winter Garden, Woody Plants
Welcome, Soft Harbinger of Spring: Oh Come to Me, My Sweet Willow…
Salix discolor: North American native pussy willow © 2010 Michaela at TGE Salix discolor, North American native pussy willow – Pitcher by Aletha Soulé. Photo © Michaela TGE Welcome! Oh welcome sweet, silver-tipped harbinger of springtime. Is there anything that makes a heart race faster than the sight of the first pussy willow catkins in […]
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Black Plants, Ferncliff, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, North American Trees, ornamental grass, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, shrubs, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Winter, Winter Garden, Woodland plants
The White Witch Cometh…
The Morning after the Storm… The White Witch roared back up the hill last night in her icy chariot. My oh my, is she a beautiful and treacherous queen. She was angry, and she swirled her crystal scarf and heavy cloak in a fit of rage. Behind her, the cold sorceress dragged a wet blanket […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Front Yard Gardens, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening without Lawn, Great Growers and Nurseries, Ground Covers, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Insects/Entomology, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, Replacing Lawn, Shade Gardening
Go a Little Less Green for the Environment: Rethink Your Lawn…
The Front Wildflower Walk in my Garden in June… Lush, wide, green and rolling; in America we love our lawns. We like to sprawl out on the grass for a picnic, gather on the neighbor’s lawn for a game of touch football , and set up our folding chairs and tiki-torches in the backyard green […]
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Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Paths, Native Plants, Nature, North American Trees, Sculpture and Features, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, The Seasons, Tracking, Tracking animals in snow, Winter Garden, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Tracking Animals in Snow and the Woodland Garden in Winter…
The woodland path at the edge of the garden… On a wintery day earlier this week, after a fresh snowfall, I headed outside with my warm alpaca hat and a pair of Atlas Snowshoes. In January, the native forest at Ferncliff is living fairytale; papery beech leaves rustle in wind, and lacy shadows dance on […]
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Garden Design, Garden projects for kids, Gardening Inspiration, Holiday Decorating, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Terrariums
Bringing Nature’s Beauty Indoors: Terrariums Part One…
A seasonal terrarium filled with North American forest plants… I am very fortunate to live and work surrounded by gardens. Even in winter, nature is part of my everyday life. But not everyone is so lucky. Some of us have friends and family members working in city high rises, crowded into sterile offices or lifeless […]
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flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Plant Science, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Woody Plants
On a Cold, Wet November Morning the Red Twigs of Tartarian Dogwood are Still Burning Bright…
Tartarian dogwood, (Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’), at Ferncliff in November… There’s nothing like a dose of brilliant scarlet color to lift the spirits in dreary weather! On this damp, grey November morning, the twigs of Tartarian dogwood glow like red-hot embers in a bonfire. Isn’t it spectacular? Nature can be quite the artiste! This glorious woody […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Late Autumn Garden, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Shrubs for fall color
Must be the Season of the Witch Alder : The Spellbinding Late Autumn Color of Fothergilla…
Witch Alder, (Fothergilla major, ‘Mt. Airy’), in the sunny entry garden in mid November; luminous against the Secret Garden wall… Oh, would you look at this beauty. Look at the magical, bright orange and yellow color, glowing in the grey November light. Is it any wonder they named her Witch Alder? She’s completely enchanting. All […]
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Bee Keeping/Products/Info, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Insects/Entomology, Native Plants
Announcing Collaborative Work with The Honey Bee Conservancy: A New Series of Guest Posts Begins…
I have recently been invited to guest-post a series of articles on gardening with bees in mind for The Honeybee Conservancy blog. The first installation, supporting pollinators by planting native plants, posted today. You can read the article by clicking here. Honeybees as a species predate human beings by tens of millions of years, and […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Perennials for Autumn, Planting Techniques, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for Texture, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Winter Garden
Late Autumn Texture Studies, Part Two: Plants that Play with Low Light…
The native forest on an early November morning… The light of late autumn is pure poetry – bathing the forest in bronze radiance. In the early morning fog, dark, vertical tree trunks move in and out of focus; playing off the back-light and textural forest tapestry. A walk through the woods reveals stunning seasonal change […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening Inspirations, Ground Covers, Hoar Frost, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for Texture, shrubs, Winter Garden, Woody Plants
Late Autumn Texture Studies, Part One: Plants Sparkling with Sugary Frost…
Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’ – Sweet Treat of the Sugar Plum Fairy… Jack Frost and the Sugar Plum Fairy had a party in my garden the other night. Â Â I wasn’t invited. But my naughty guests did leave behind plenty of outrageous evidence and a few party favors. In the morning I awoke to find […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Birds, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Perennials for Autumn, Plant hunting, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Viburnum, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Autumn Brilliance: Plants for Spectacular Fall Color, Part One …
Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact’ with Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ What an impossibly beautiful morning. The sky is a scraped palette of blue-grey-violet, and the world all around me is a swirling kaleidoscope of orange and chartreuse, scarlet and vermillion, saffron and violet. I began my day with an early walk through the garden – savoring […]
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Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, North American Trees, Plant Spotlight, shrubs, Woody Plants
Behold the Beauty in a Technicolor Dreamcoat: Rhus Typhina, our North American Native, Staghorn Sumac…
Rhus typhina ‘Tiger eyes’ â“’ Michaela at TGE Wow. Will you take a long look at Lady Rhus typhina? Isn’t she beautiful ? And she is such a keeper. What gardener wouldn’t welcome this stunning, autumn beauty with her technicolor dreamcoat? But there is a catch. I am afraid this lady has a bad reputation. It’s […]
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Ferncliff, Ferns, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, North American Trees, Woodland plants
Welcome Autumn…
The first golden leaves. American Beech, (Fagus grandifolia). Thought I would take you along for a stroll through the woodland path on the first day of autumn here at Ferncliff. Early morning fog lifted briefly to reveal a slice of heavenly blue sky and a season’s worth of kaleidoscopic color just beginning to develop in […]
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Garden Gloves, Garden Maintenance, Garden Science, Native Plants, Weeds and Weeding
The Zen of Weeding…
I often recycle my old wicker laundry baskets for weeding chores. Not only are they inexpensive, lightweight and easy to move in and out of tight spots, but once they begin to fall apart, I can just break them up and add them to the compost pile! As I sat down to write this article, I […]
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Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Woodland plants
Sweet-Scented August: Clethra Alnifolia
Clethra alnifolia, North American native “Sweet Pepperbush’ Some of the most beautiful late-blooming shrubs remind me of that childhood tale, “The Ugly Duckling”. Late to leaf out, looking perhaps a bit twiggy and awkward in June, these stars of the late summer garden take their time dressing up for spring. Sweet pepperbush is one of […]
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Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for summer, Plant hunting, Plant Spotlight, Plants for sun, Tim Geiss
August: Seeking the Thrill of High Summer…
~ A bee visits Rudbeckia hirta “Becky mixed” in the perennial garden ~ Is it just me or does it feels like summer is passing too quickly this year? Here we are at the full Sturgeon Moon, (rising tonight, August 5th,at 8:56 pm EST), and it seems like the warm weather is just getting started […]
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Ferncliff, Ferns, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Ode to a Fiddlehead…
The woodland path at Ferncliff – Image â“’ Michaela Medina – The Gardener’s Eden Call me a fiddle-head, it is true. I have a long standing love-affair with ferns. Ostrich and Cinnamon, Maidenhair and Lady, Autumn and Christmas; even their names delight me, and I can never seem to get enough of this delicate, feathery species. My […]
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Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Native Plants, Plant Spotlight, Woodland plants
June Flowering Shrub Spotlight : Our Native Mountain Laurel, Kalmia Latifolia
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia, ‘Pink Charm’) in a naturalistic planting between boulders… One of the great native shrubs of North America, mountain laurel, (Kalmia latifolia), is also a beautiful and versatile garden plant. Â With nearly 100 cultivars ranging in size from the diminutive, (12″ high plants suitable for small spaces and rock gardens), to the […]
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Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Ground Covers, Native Plants, Planting Techniques
Designing for early spring garden interest: the first act in a dramatic garden year…
Early Spring Entry Garden Designing and planting a garden for all seasons reminds me a bit of theater. From the moment an audience stands at the entry of a garden, an opportunity exists. When guests emerge from their cars, or step inside a gate, what will they first notice? In early spring, perhaps the […]
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