Recent Posts
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Aerial Photography, Orchards / Orchard Keeping, The Seasons, Vermont
Scott Farm’s Springtime Renaissance: Above the Orchard, Beauty in Full Bloom
Beauty in Full Bloom: Above the Apple Orchard, Scott Farm, Vermont It’s apple blossom season at Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont, and the orchard is in full, fragrant glory. Having posted many articles here on The Gardener’s Eden about the Scott Farm orchard —both during the springtime bloom and again during the autumn apple harvest— I decided to do […]
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Upon a May Night: Fire and Ice Follies
 Fire & Ice Follies Upon a May Night: Enjoying Narcicissus ‘Ice Follies’ & Dan Snow’s Fire Sculpture After a Day of Work in the Garden Now that spring has finally sprung, I find myself caught in a familiar pattern of  Maytime, garden design madness. There’s so much I want to see, and so very much […]
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Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, New England, Spring Ephemerals, Springtime, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Beautiful, North American Native Plants: A Springtime Garden, Gone Wild . . .
Golden droplets of wild wonder: Lindera benzoin. Read about the sunny Spicebush here. Although my garden contains a wide variety of plants from many different parts of the world, come springtime, native plants usually steal the spotlight. The earliest blooming shrubs and trees, as well as many of the flowering ground covers and springtime ephemerals, […]
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May Merriment . . .
Pulmonaria longifolia ‘Raspberry Splash’ Greets the First Day of May Welcome beautiful, light-hearted, May. Named for the Greek goddess Maia, this is the month of springtime flowers. Fragrance, color, warmth and soft light; it seems each and every morning, when I step into the garden, something new awaits. It’s time for May merriment, and a […]
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Of Wildflowers & Ephemeral Beauty . . .
 North American Native, Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot) Is there anything lovelier than the unexpected surprise of wildflowers, scattered along a woodland path? My heart leaps like a little child at the sight of nodding Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum), and snow-white Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), poking up like a miracle from bare ground. The fleeting nature of Spring’s […]
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Pretty in Pink: April’s Full Moon . . .
April’s Pink Moon is Named for the Color of Wild Ground Phlox, Which Blooms in Early Spring Be sure to keep watch for the Pink Moon rising tonight, April 25th, at 7:52pm ET. And if you’re up with the songbirds, as I am, you can also catch our lovely celestial neighbor as she sets, at […]
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Birds, Birds in the Garden, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Music in the Garden, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, The Seasons, Witch hazel, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Purple Finch & Springtime Blossoms: Rejoicing as Sleeping Beauty Awakes . . .
 Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) in Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) It’s been a raw and chilly April in Vermont, and yet springtime songbirds, undaunted by the lingering chill, have flocked to my garden in search of sustenance. Some species are merely passing through, but others will settle and set up summer residence. This month’s standout is the […]
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Books, companion planting, Cookbooks, Cooking, Gifts for Gardeners, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Planting Techniques, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison, Plus a Springtime-Fresh Garden Recipe: Peas with Baked Ricotta & Breadcrumbs
Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison As organic vegetable gardeners, we know how important it is to become familiar with the various plant families and to develop an understanding of how they relate to one another in the garden. Botanical knowledge is key to avoiding many pests, diseases and cultural problems. Having recently reviewed the topics […]
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For the Love of Mother Earth . . .
Above the Connecticut River Let’s Make Every Day, Earth Day  Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact […]
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Kitchen Garden Planning, Part Two: Companion Planting, Design & Layout
 In the Company of Friends: My Potager is Planned for Companionship! Fresh air, sunshine, a cool drink and a warm, cozy spot in the garden, surrounded by friends; I can’t imagine a better way to spend my summer days. Turns out, plants feel much the same way we do. Like humans, plants tend to grow, […]
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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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The Early April Landscape from Above
 Organic Weave: Hints of Green in the Tobacco Fields {Above Deerfield, Massachusetts} Up before sunrise to catch dawn’s honey-gold light, last Friday morning I toured the early April landscape beneath the wings of an agile Citabria. As we climbed to altitude, a haze of sheer, radiant color —violet, cherry, gold and willow— illuminated treetops and hills […]
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Kitchen Garden Planning, Part One: Designing a Pretty & Productive Potager
 I like to design kitchen gardens with both beauty & bounty in mind. Why does beauty matter in a vegetable garden? I’ve noticed that the prettier the garden, the more time I want to spend in it. Usually, the more time you spend in your potager, the more time you spend on your plants and […]
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Ready, Set, Grow! Springtime Gardening: Free Weekend Seminars in April & May, Sponsored by Walker Farm, Vermont
 Walker Farm Stand on Rt 5 in Dummerston, Vermont: Open Daily from 10am – 6pm, April 13th through Late November – Visit the Walker Farm Website Here Like most gardeners, I tend to celebrate the arrival of each season with favorite, annual traditions. And for me, spring just isn’t spring without a visit to Walker […]
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Sweet Anticipation: April’s First Blush
 Anticipating the Intoxicating Scent of  Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ It’s April first, and foolishly —thinking that surely we’ve seen the last of snow— we’re tempted to rush forward with our early season chores. And then —often without the slightest provocation or warning— Spring turns a cold cheek. Over the years, I’ve learned that in early […]
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Celebrating the Joy of Springtime . . .
 Rebirth & Renewal: A Tiny Nest Amongst Hemlock Boughs Wishing You Joy During this Season of Celebration. Happy Easter, Happy Passover and Happy Spring! Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be […]
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Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Springtime, The Seasons
First Hints of a Changing Season . . .
April’s Promise: Beloved Blossoms on My Bodnant Viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’). Read More About this Beauty in My Previous Post Here The first hints of a changing season: warm breezes from the south and silvery pussy willow catkins, soft against the skin, flirty pink buds on my favorite viburnum and the taste of sweet […]
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Aerial Alchemy: Earth’s Golden Hour . . .
 Golden Keys (Above the Florida Keys, USA) Explorers sailed to the New World seeking it. Chemists have spent centuries chasing it. Far above the earth, at the golden hour —while gazing out a jetliner window— I found what they’ve all been searching for. Aerial alchemy. And I think to myself, as Louis Armstrong once sang, what […]
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Beauty to Behold: The Sap Moon Rising
 The Sap Moon Rising Above Paper Birch and Snow-Covered Hills in Vermont Be sure to look for the full, Sap Moon (aka the Worm Moon), when it rises tonight at 7:50pm ET. The moon was full at exactly 5:27am ET this morning, as it began to set on the western horizon here in Vermont. With […]
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Costa Rica, Exotic Plants, Tropical Plants
A Trio of Central American Beauties: Hot House Queens from the Tropics . . .
Native to the tropical Americas, Heliconia vellerigera’s (cultivar pictured: H. vellerigera ‘She Kong’), yellow blossoms are accented by  fuzzy, red bracts that remind me of the glamorous, fluffy shrugs worn by Hollywood starlets. An important food-source for hummingbirds, the Heliconias require constant moisture, warmth, partial to full sunlight and rich soil. Flower gardening in the […]
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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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