Recent Posts
-
Fragrant Fern, Damp Moss & Fantaisie: Summer Rain in the Secret Garden…
Inside My Secret Garden: Earthy Fragrance of Damp Moss & Fern, Verdant Hues & Cool, Moist Air {In Mexican Terra Cotta: Ligularia ‘Osiris Fantaisie’ & Athyrium nipponicum ‘Pictum’} Although the shady Secret Garden outside my studio door is a welcome retreat on hot summer days, sometimes I feel it is actually most alluring in the […]
Read More -
Aviation, MA, Massachusetts, Nature, New England
Stepping Through the Looking Glass… Earth from Above: A Birds-Eye-View
Behold, A Magical-Mirror Keyhole, Visibly Only from the Sky… Unlocking the Door to Another World, High Above Treetops… Travel with Me, Through the Looking Glass… Where Suddenly You are a Giant; Gazing Upon Tiny Buildings & Trees… Slipped away from work on a Monday afternoon —ignoring teetering piles, all needing to be filed, on the […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
Celebrations, Dining Outdoors, Summer Solstice, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
In the Good Old Summer Time…
Summer Time in the Wildflower Walk. Read About Oli’s Wondrous Wildflower Walk Here Long days, balmy nights, bare feet and the smell of freshly mown grass: summer time at last. And now, with the rush of spring time planning and planting behind us, it’s time to begin reaping the garden’s rich rewards. Step inside the […]
Read More -
Summer Solstice, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
A Kiss Goodbye: Farewell to Springtime
An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Visits the Mountain Laurel Along the Secret Garden Path Early this morning, warm sunlight streaming through dewy fog lifting from the valley, I slipped outside for my last springtime walk through the garden. The seasons change tonight —7:09 pm ET marking the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
Beneficial Animals and Insects, Frogs and Toads
All Hail the Prince…
Prince Pickerel has Returned to His Summer Home in My Secret Garden His Highness, Prince Pickerel of The Secret Garden, has returned to his summertime throne. You may recall earlier mentions of this copper-clad charmer from summers past; particularly this post on the pickerel frog, from August 2010. Welcome Home! All Hail the Prince! Photographs […]
Read More -
Bee-Friendly Gardens, Butterflies and Moths, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, Wildflowers and Meadows
Wild Blue: The Beauty of Baptisia…
The Beauty of North American Native Plants: Wild Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis) & Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus) in My Garden. This Flowering Combo is Backed Up by “Nativars” (Native Plant Cultivars):Â Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’ &Â Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’ In my work as garden designer, I often find myself doing overtime as PR agent for native plants. […]
Read More -
The Scent of Peonies in Rain…
The Last of the Golden Tree Peony Blossoms Add Glorious Warmth and Fragrance to the Secret Garden on a Rainy Day (Paeonia moutan x lutea ‘High Noon’, and at Her Feet: Euphorbia cyparissias ‘Fen’s Ruby’, Heuchera ‘Stormy Seas’, Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’. Peonies. As a gardener, I confess that they are my great weakness. When […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
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, […]
Read More -
Asian Natives, Early Spring Garden Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Ferncliff, Fragrance, Peonies, Shrubs for early spring blossoms, Tree Peonies, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Return of the Black Dragon…
Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Wu Long Peng Sheng’  (Tree Peony, “Black Dragon Holds a Splendid Flower”) The Black Dragon has returned to my garden, and this year he was generous, holding many splendid flowers. I have but a few tree peonies in my garden, and I hope to continue adding to the collection. The tree peonies bloom […]
Read More -
Butterflies and Moths, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Insects/Entomology
Moonlight Flight in the Garden: Attracting Lovely Luna Moths…
 Luna Moth (Actias luna) –  iPad Illustration by Michaela One of the best parts about teaching is having the opportunity to further my own education. And when I am asked a great question that I can not answer, I get especially excited by the chance to do some research and learn something new! Yesterday morning, […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
Apples, Asian Natives, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Fruit for home gardens, Fruit Trees, Heirloom Apples, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Orchards / Orchard Keeping, Ornamental Berries and Fruit, Pears
Oh, Sweet-Scented Orchard Blossoms! Selecting & Growing Fruit Trees at Walker Farm with Zeke Goodband…
Apple Blossoms at Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont The Sweet Scent of Spring: Filling My Hands with Fragrant Apple Blossom Petals as They Fall from the Trees A Inspirational, Springtime Stroll through the Heirloom Apple Orchard at Scott Farm in Vermont Many gardeners dream of an orchard filled with homegrown peaches, plums, pears, quince, cherries […]
Read More -
Early Season Garden Maintenance … Free Seminar at Walker Farm, Vermont
English Edging (click here for information on how to create this border line) and Mulch: When a Garden is Properly Prepared, Early in the Season, Maintenance is a Breeze Throughout the Year … Early-season maintenance —or what I’ve come to call ‘waking up the garden in spring’— is one of the keys to a truly […]
Read More -
Birds in the Garden, Viburnum, Wildlife, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
The Sublime Beauty of Spring Twilight & Melancholy Song of the Hermit Thrush…
Swollen Buds of Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ in Silhouette Against the Sublime Beauty of Spring Twilight The melancholy song of the hermit thrush —rising and falling; a flute amongst the hemlock boughs of moody twilight— is a sound I eagerly anticipate each spring. As soon as winter’s ice begins to recede and the scent of […]
Read More -
Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Black Bear, Wildlife
Springtime Awakenings …
North American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Emerging from the Compost Trail in My Garden (photo taken from inside the house!) I had a surprise guest in my garden this morning: Ursus americanus, the North American black bear. Long time readers will recall a similar encounter last summer (see photos here). Coincidentally, while sipping my cup of […]
Read More -
In Anticipation of April’s Pink Moon …
The Pink Moon (Shown Here, Rising on April 4th) is Full this Friday, April 6th, at 3:19pm ET Longtime followers of The Gardener’s Eden will recall that this starry-eyed gardener has a particular fondness for April’s Pink Moon. Previous posts (such as this one, here ) have also included links to Nick Drake’s beautiful song by the […]
Read More