Woody Plants
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Bulbs, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cooking, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Gifts for Gardeners, Home, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Mimosa Pour Moi? Oui, Oui, Oui. Sunday Afternoon Delights in the Early Spring Garden…
La Mimosa de Minneola de Michaela Could there possibly be a more lovely weekend for Easter Egg hunts, Sunday brunches, garden strolls and chilled mimosas? I think not. Here in New England the weather is simply spectacular, and swollen flower buds are bursting open to greet the glorious day. The pink bodnant viburnum ‘Dawn’ at […]
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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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Autumn Color in the Garden, flowering shrubs, Flowering Shrubs and Trees for Forced Flowers, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fresh Cut Flowers, Garden Design, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant Spotlight, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs/Trees for Forced Flowers, The Seasons, Viburnum, Woody Plants
How To Describe the Beautiful Scent of Bodnant Viburnum ‘Dawn’ ?
Anticipation! Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ – buds swollen in cold spring rain… I have always found it a bit frustrating that -at least in English- fragrances don’t have names of their own. Have you noticed? When we describe smells, we use similes, (smells like…), or we borrow other words, because scents have none. Often we use […]
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flowering shrubs, Flowering Shrubs and Trees for Forced Flowers, Hamamelis, Late Autumn Garden, Plant Spotlight, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, The Seasons, Witch hazel, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
The Sorceress of Springtime: Spellbinding Witch Hazel ‘Diane’…
Hamamelis x intermedia, ‘Diane’ blooms mid March in my garden. Photograph © 2010 Michaela at TGE Today’s grey clouds ushered in the first spring rain, and with it, the slightest breeze from the south. It’s still quite chilly, but every morning I am drawn outside by the promise of chartreuse-green bulb-tips, glowing as they break […]
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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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Flower arrangements, flowering shrubs, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fresh Cut Flowers, garden tools, Indoor Table Arrangements, Plant Spotlight, shrubs, Shrubs/Trees for Forced Flowers, Vases, Viburnum, Winter Garden, Woody Plants
Bringing Nature’s Beauty Indoors: Force Early Blooming Branches for a Bit of Springtime on a Winter Day…
Forced Blossoms – Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ An Early Whiff of Spring Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’,  forced in a turquoise vase… What a gift! A beautifully warm, clear, blue-sky day in midwinter. I am itching to pull on my boots and go play. The frost coated snow drifts outside sparkle and tempt like cream-puffs with sugar icing. I have so […]
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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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Conifers, Ferncliff, stonework, Winter Garden, Woody Plants
Happy New Year !
Wishing You  A Joyous New Year ! Michaela *** Photograph © 2009, Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden ***
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Conifers, Ferncliff, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for Texture, shrubs, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, The Seasons, Winter Garden, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
The Dawn of Winter: December Notes from Ferncliff…
Winter’s Dawn at Ferncliff The morning after a storm. Silent. Pristine. After months of drowsy, frost-covered mornings, at long last the garden has fallen to sleep. Lulled by a by a shifting blanket of snow, the flowers have all drifted away now; their pods empty; stalks broken. Summer’s song is hushed; notes frozen in chilly stillness. […]
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Conifers, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Naturalistic Garden Design, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plants for Texture, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Winter Garden, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Walking in a Winter Wonderland …
Sleigh bells ring… are you listening ? “When it snows, ain’t it thrilling, though your nose gets a chilling? We’ll frolic and play the Eskimo way, walking in a winter wonderland”… Welcome December ! Hellebores gleam and glimmer like stars in white glitter… A branch of Cotoneaster, loaded with red berries, reminiscent of a ruby […]
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Christmas Trees, Conifers, Holiday Decorating, Plant Spotlight, Tree Farms, Trees, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Holiday Traditions: Visiting a Tree Farm Guest Post by Nanette Pigaga…
The Forest Illuminated, Photograph © 2009 Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden I have never been much of a Black Friday enthusiast. Frankly, I would rather snuggle up by a cozy fire with a good book, or a notebook and pen, listening to Erik Satie and sipping hot, mulled cider. But if you are going out today, […]
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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, 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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Asian Natives, Autumn Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Ground Covers, Japanese Maple, Late Autumn Garden, North American Trees, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Plant Spotlight, Plants for Texture, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Trees, Trees for Fall Foliage, Viburnum, Winter Garden, Woody Plants
Autumn Brilliance Part Three: Plant Partners for the Late Show and Early Winter Marquee…
Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’ in late October By late October, much of the foliage in the forest surrounding my garden has passed its peak. Although the woods are still basking in the glow of golden birch and poplar, lemony striped maple, rusty red oak and amber colored beech –  the vibrant orange and red maple leaves […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Berries, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, Dried Flowers, Exotic Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Foliage, Fresh Cut Flowers, Garden Design, Hardy shrubs, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Hydrangea, Late Autumn Garden, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant hunting, Plant Spotlight, Raindrops, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, The Seasons, Unusual Plants, Woody Plants
Autumn Brilliance Part Two – Plants for Spectacular Fall Color…
Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issai’ (Purple Beautyberry) Could a gardener be diagnosed with OCD if she compulsively checks her ornamental shrubs for changing berry color? Can a collector’s passion for a particularly beautiful cultivar cross the line, where she becomes a stalker of plants? Sometimes I fear I’ve gone too far; slipped off the raft; teetered past […]
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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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flowering shrubs, Plant hunting, Planting Techniques, Viburnum, Weigela, Woody Plants
Calling all Bargain Hunters: It’s Time To Scoop Up Great Deals On Shrubs And Start Your Fall Planting!
Weigela florida ‘My Monet’ & Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ Pst… Want to know a secret? I really must confess. I have been having a bit of fun lately with other people’s money. No, no. It’s nothing like those scoundrels on Wall Street that you have been reading about. Permission has been granted. You see, for […]
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