Recent Posts
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Apples, Autumn, Cookbooks, Cooking, Gourmet Garden, Orchards / Orchard Keeping, Trees for Fruit
Sampling Sweet Heirloom Treasures … Apple Tasting at Scott Farm Orchard
The Golden Light of Harvest Season at Scott Farm Orchard in Vermont If a rose is a rose is a rose, does it then follow that an apple is an apple is an apple? Of course —except in the most simplistic of senses— neither statement is true. Each of these closely related species —both of which […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Dahlias, Dark flowers, Foliage, Fun in the Garden, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
In Concert: Fall’s Brilliant Fantasia …
Flames of the Apprentice: Cotinus coggygria (Smokebush) Turns up the Volume on the Mid-October Music For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between color and sound. My mom had a fairly eclectic record collection —from classical to kitsch— and as a child, I loved listening to music while […]
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Apples, Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Fruit for home gardens, Fruit Trees, New England, Orchards / Orchard Keeping, Recipes
Dorie Greenspan’s Simply Delicious French Cake with Heirloom Apples …
Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake from Dorie Greespan’s Wonderful Book of Recipes, Around My French Table I awoke this past Sunday morning with a kitchen full of heirloom apples from Scott Farm Orchard and nothing more important to do than brew a pot of coffee and bake a special birthday cake. No problem, right? Well, I suppose […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Conifers, Garden Design Photos, Naturalistic Garden Design, ornamental grass, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight
Autumn’s Burning Beauty: Flame Grass Heats Up the Mid-October Garden …
Showing Off Ribbon-Candy Colors in My Garden: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’ (Planted with Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’/’Monlo’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ on Left. That’s Rhus typhina, Occurring in a Natural Stand Behind the Border) If you’ve been following this journal for awhile, you are probably quite familiar with my passion for the sensual beauty of ornamental grass […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
A Light in the Autumn Fog …
North American native Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Shines Brightly in a Clear, Luminous Gold (for a detailed profile on this fantastic plant, click here and to see her spring blossoms, be sure to click here) Most people don’t get excited about dark, dreary days. After all, it’s hard to jump up and down when you’re weighed […]
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Honored to be Interviewed & Featured Blog of the Week at Birds & Blooms …
Visit the Birds & Blooms Magazine Blog, and See the Blog of the Week Feature & Interview by Clicking Here I’m honored to be featured as Blog of the Week at Birds & Blooms Magazine’s Blog today. Special thanks to Ellie Cliffe at Birds & Blooms for the fun interview! Click here or on the […]
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Cookbooks, Cooking, Cooking with Kids, Recipes
Gems in the Rough: Heirloom Potatoes & Delightfully Crispy Faux French Frites {Plus Tips for Root Cellaring Your Spuds}
Crispy Faux Frites I confess a weakness for frites. Real frites, mind you, not the soggy, pale-yellow excuse for French fries found in fast food restaurants. I’m talking about genuine, golden-brown, warm, crispy, sea-salty, flavorful French frites. The last time I had really great French fried potatoes I was in San Francisco of all places, […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, Flower Seeds, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance, Meadow Gardens, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, New England, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Perennials for Autumn, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for Texture, Summer flowering shrubs
Heavenly as October Skies at Sunset: ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Aromatic Aster Sparkles in My Autumn Garden …
Raydon’s Favorite aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’/ aka Aster oblongifolius) in the front entry garden in mid-October (Shining gold in the background here: Amsonia hubrichtii and Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’) When it comes to North American native wildflowers, there’s just no way I could ever choose a favorite. My plant infatuations are many; varying […]
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Autumn, Farmer's Almanac, Full Moon, Fun in the Garden
Ode to the Hunter Moon …
Waxing On: Maiden Grass Dances by the Light of the Hunter Moon The Hunter Moon is Full Tonight (October 11th) at 10:06 pm ET, and Oh What a Beauty. Step Outside for a Spell … After such a rainy year, a clear night for the full moon is a lovely, unexpected treat. And tonight the […]
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Apples, Autumn, Farm Events, Fruit for home gardens, Fruit Trees, Full Moon, New England, Orchards / Orchard Keeping, Vegetable Gardening/Potager, Vermont
October Orchard Dreaming …
Scott Farm Orchard at Twilight with October’s Waxing Hunter Moon Autumn is apple season in New England, and come October, there’s no place I’d rather be than in an orchard, dreaming. Lucky gal that I am, last week, Ezekiel Goodband —orchardist at Historic Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont— took time out of his very busy day to […]
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Apples, Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden
The Beauty of Harvest Season …
The Glorious Colors of Harvest Season: Multicolored Gourds, Pumpkins & Squash Columbus Day Weekend is traditionally the time when my sister and I meet up to carve pumpkins, roast their sweet & salty seeds, drink mulled cider and bask in the warmth of early October sunshine. In New England, these are the days of  bonfire gatherings, harvest […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Conservatory, Container Gardening, Decorating Ideas, Ferns, Garden projects for kids, Garden Rooms, House Plants, Indoor Eden, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Terrariums
Gathering Moss: It’s Terrarium Time …
My Gothic Wardian Case is from H. Potter & the Misty Apothecary Jar is from Amazon A rainy Sunday indoors inspired a bit of renewed terrari-mania yesterday afternoon. After a morning walk through the misty garden —gathering moss and partridgeberry  between raindrops— I set to work refreshing my collection of apothecary jars and wardian cases; […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Celebrations, Ferncliff, Foliage, Japanese Maple, Native North American Meadows, Native North American Woodlands, Nature, New England, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
“Autumn is a Second Spring When Every Leaf is a Flower” – Albert Camus Welcoming the Month of October …
Welcome Scarlet Reds: Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’ in the Secret Garden Welcome October …  A Favorite Month, in a Favorite Season ! And Glowing Orange: Rhus typhina ‘Tiger Eyes’ in the Border at Meadow’s Edge … Luminous as Stained Glass: Cornus kousa (Kousa Dogwood) and the Remnants of Daucus carota (Queen Anne’s Lace) in […]
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Insects/Entomology, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Oh, What a Fashionable Dresser! Meet Widget the Walking Stick …
Hello Widget! What a Snappy Outfit You Have There … Meet Widget the Walking Stick. And isn’t he the most fashionable fella? While installing a new garden for a client last week —design post forthcoming— I happened to notice what appeared to be a colorful stick, stuck to my boot. As I bent down to […]
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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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Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox: Welcome to Fall’s Colorful Splendor …
A Fiery Sugar Maple Welcomes Autumn on My Country Road (Acer saccharum) At last, Autumn has arrived, and she’s just beginning to unpack her suitcase of fall finery. Already, her musky perfume fills the air; swirling in a fine, foggy mist throughout the valley. There are so many things to look forward to at this […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumnal Equinox, Berries, Bird Friendly Gardens, shrubs, Shrubs for early spring blossoms, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Shrubs with Textural Bark, The Seasons, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Falling for Autumn’s Slow Color Shift …
The Brilliant Vermillion Fruits of Tea Viburnum (V. setigerum) are Striking Against this Silvery-Mauve Screen of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ in My Garden With two large garden design & installation projects to button up before the end of the year, fire wood to stack and countless post-Irene repairs to tackle, it seems the weeks are […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, The Seasons
September’s Soft, Autumnal Serenade … The Beauty of Japanese Windflowers
Anemone x hybrida ‘Serenade’ in My Garden Ah, September; low, golden light, amber colored fields and fragrant orchards laden with fruit. I love this time of year, especially in the garden. Some of my favorite colors come to life in late summer and early autumn; bold red, burnt orange and bittersweet, saffron and gold, plum, […]
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By the Light of the Harvest Moon …
The Full Harvest Moon Sweet September… The sky is clear and the temperature is mild. Tonight’s weather may just be perfect for watching the Harvest Moonrise. Don’t miss the show tonight, starting at 6:48 pm Eastern Time. For more lunar lore and fun facts about the Harvest Moon, visit the Old Farmer’s Almanac, by clicking […]
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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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Dahlias, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Paths and Walkways
Weaving Garden Dreams into Reality: The Art of Designing a Landscape …
Sketching with Dahlias for Color Inspiration Rainy days are studio days. I’ve been indoors on this wet Labor Day, working on a bulb order for a garden I designed and planted last week, and putting together preliminary sketches for two upcoming projects. My painting studio doubles as my garden design space; filled with all of […]
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