Secret Garden at Ferncliff
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Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, The Seasons
Late March Musings: Welcoming Spring
 My Secret Garden Path, Fragrant with Woodland Phlox (P. divaricata), in April of Last Year Somewhere, beneath the melting snow, the garden is stirring; restless to feel the sweet kiss of springtime sunshine . . . Have only just returned from my travels  —busy downloading photos and editing stories to share— but wanted to pause […]
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Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, shrubs, stonework, Studio Garden
Slip Beyond the Misty Walls & Linger Within My Secret Garden…
Weigela florida ‘Red Prince’ Tumbling Over the Secret Garden Wall. Stonework by Vermont Artist Dan Snow. Read More About W. florida  by Clicking Here. It’s mid-June —showtime for some of the season’s prettiest perennials, flowering trees and shrubs— and the garden is always dressed to the nines. Even within the shady depths of my Secret Garden […]
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Asian Natives, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Spring, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Celebrating Glorious Glaucidium… Blossoming of the Japanese Wood Poppy
Raindrops Glisten on the Glorious Glaucidium palmatum in My Secret Garden Today. This Delightful Perennial is More Commonly Known as Japanese Wood Poppy. Read More in My Perennial Profile Post, Here. While tip toeing through the raindrops this morning, I happened to spot the gorgeous, lavender blossoms of Glaucidium palmatum opening in my Secret Garden […]
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Paths and Walkways, Perennials for Spring, scree gardens, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Ephemerals, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Steps and Stairs - Stone, Stone Walkways, The Seasons
Musings on the Merry Month of May…
The Secret Garden Steps and Path, Yesterday Evening (Blooming Here and Below: Phlox divaricata ‘Clouds of Perfume’, Muscari armeniacum, Ajuga reptans ‘Purple Brocade’, Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’, Fothergilla major ‘Mt Airy’, Viburnum lantana ‘Variegatum’, in a Sea of Emerging Wildflowers) It’s a rainy Monday morning in May, and I’m at my desk catching up […]
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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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Ferncliff, Home, Outside Architecture, Paths and Walkways, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, stonework, Water Bowl, Water Features, Water Gardens, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Seduced by Springtime Sunshine & Sweetly Scented Air …
Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ Scents the Air & Reflects in the Water Bowl at the Secret Garden Door in March {Stonework by Vermont Artist Dan Snow} Seduced by the sweet scent of springtime and early morning’s soft light, chores in the Secret Garden —raking, weeding, edging and mulching— hardly resemble work at all. After filling the […]
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Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Uncategorized, Winter Garden
Snow, Fog & Ice: Quiet Garden Beauty On a Winter’s Day …
The Garden, Cloaked in Ice-Cappeded Snow (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’) Awoke this morning to find Winter —after a long and inexplicable absence— has finally returned; cloaking the garden in shades of alabaster and cream. Vibrant shades of red and gold punctuate the stark landscape; jewel-like accessories on Winter’s cool, icy ensemble. Driving conditions are treacherous […]
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Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, The Seasons, Winter, Winter Garden
Dreaming of a White Christmas …
Sometimes Dreams Really Do Come True … An Early Morning Welcome to Wonderland with a Garden of Sleeping Beauty, Blanketed in White! Fresh Snow Coats the Secret Garden Door Like Fine Ivory Lace And Could There Be a Merrier Welcome to Christmas … Than a Pretty, Snow-Coated Entryway? All Stonework Featured Here is by Vermont Artist […]
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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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Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary …
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary … While I Pondered, Weak and Weary … Over Many a Quaint and Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore … While I Nodded, Nearly Napping, Suddenly There Came a Tapping … As Of Some One Gently Rapping, Rapping at My Chamber Door … Was It the Wind, or Something More ? […]
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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, Autumn Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, Glamorous Gardens, New England, Pumpkins, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Specialty Pumpkins, The Seasons, Trees for Fall Foliage, Winter, Winter Garden, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Autumn Swirls in a Dance with Winter: A Fleeting Glimpse of Frosted Fantasy …
An October Snow Squall Temporarily Coats the Scarlet Leaves of This Brilliant Viburnum with Fresh Frosting (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’) A Different Kind of October in the Secret Garden A First For Me; Damask Roses in the Snow (‘Rosa De Rescht’) Candy-Coated Autumn Colors … And Jewel-Like Leaves, Flash Frozen in Time Snow Kissed […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Ferncliff, Fragrance, Gardening Inspiration, Native North American Woodlands, ornamental grass, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, stonework, The Seasons, Witch hazel, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Misty Mornings & Golden Afternoons: The Burnished Beauty of Indian Summer
Soft Light Through Morning Fog at Woodland Edge Indian Summer —that deliciously warm, golden season between the first, light frost and the killing freeze— is like a sweet dessert after a perfect meal. Oh how I delight in these last, precious weeks of mild weather. Usually, I host an open studio and garden tour in […]
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Autumn, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Black Plants, Butterflies and Moths, Climbing plants, Cocktails, Ferncliff, Fragrance, Garden Paths, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens
Seduced by Autumn’s Alluring Scent …
Deep Within the Secret Garden, the Delightful Scent of Fairy Candles (Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ and ‘Brunette’ aka Cimicifuga racemosa) Perfumes the Air, Luring Me Down the Dim, Winding Path. (Other plants here: Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’, Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’, Viburum bodnantense ‘Dawn’, and beside the Actaea simplex: glowing, chartreuse Hakonechloa macra ‘All […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, companion planting, Ornamental Berries and Fruit, ornamental grass, Perennials for Autumn, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Texture, The Seasons
First Hints of a Changing Season …
Shimmering Bronze Beauty in the Morning Light: Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ As the last days of summer swirl by in a golden haze, the first hints of a changing season have begun to appear in my garden. Dusk settles in this quiet forest clearing a bit earlier each evening, and although days are still warm […]
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Asian Natives, Black Plants, Chartreuse, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Dark Plants, Ferncliff, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, ornamental grass, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for shade, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Cooling Off in the Dappled Shade: Deepest Violet and Shadow Blue Hues …
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ with Fothergilla x intermedia ‘Blue Shadow’ Out working in the field during this week’s scorching heat and high humidity, I found myself dodging the sun whenever possible; ducking beneath the cover of every shade tree and arbor in order to hide from burning, mid-day rays. Over the past couple of weeks […]
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Ferncliff, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Paths and Walkways, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Summer Flowering Perennials, Wildflowers and Meadows
The Play of Sunlight and Shadow: Through the Secret Garden Door …
Golden Flowers in a Pool of Sunlight: Through the Secret Garden Door … It’s a busy, busy week here at my studio. With two large garden designs, and three smaller projects shifting from dream to reality, there’s much work to be done behind the scenes. I must confess that paperwork and numbers are not terribly […]
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Ferncliff, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens, Shade Gardening
Misty Mountain Top: Painted Ledges & Secret Garden in Summertime Fog …
The Entry Garden on a Misty, Late June Morning (Left to right foreground:Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’ & Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’- see descriptions below for other plantings) Sunny summer days are glorious; filled with shimmering, gold fields and blue, shadowed valleys. I love long strolls through garden paths with the sun’s warmth on my skin. […]
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Ferncliff, Ferns, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens
Pausing as Spring Dances with Summer: A Moment at the Verdant Threshold …
The Secret Garden Door in Late Spring Sunny days and sultry evenings alternate with cool mornings and moody rain showers as Springtime dances toward Summer. The month swept in with dramatic beauty: wild thunderstorms followed by golden sunsets; mist-covered hills illuminated by pink afterglow. This is a busy time of year, but every morning and […]
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Peonies, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Spring, Plants for Light Effects, Raindrops, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Woody Plants
Glistening Gold, Perfumed Peony Petals
‘High Noon’ Tree Peony (Paeonia moutan x lutea ‘High Noon’) A cool morning after rain in the Secret Garden, and the fragrance of the first dew-kissed, peony blossoms fills the air. The scent of this favorite, golden flower —exotic and deep— is an eagerly anticipated May-time pleasure. Life gets so busy, and the seasons pass […]
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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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