Recent Posts
-
Musings On A September Morning …
A Lovely September Sunrise (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ with Rudbeckia hirta seed pods and Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact’) September, October and November are my favorite months in the gardening year. Late summer and early autumn —as well as that magical, indescribable, post-frost warm-spell known as ‘Indian Summer’— are spectacular seasons here in New England. This […]
Read More -
A New Path Through the Forest …
Water Falling in a Brook Near My Home A new path has been cut through my forest, and I couldn’t be happier. As of today, my previously marooned community has a new –primitive, but very functional– four wheel drive access road. Words can not express how grateful and relieved I am, both for my neighbors […]
Read More -
Annual Flowers, annuals, Container Gardening, Decorating the Garden, Ferncliff, Fresh Cut Flowers, Indoor Eden, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Pots, Pots and Pottery, Urns and Vessels, Vases
Gathering Beauty Before the Storm …
Riding the Storm Out: Fragile Pots & Plants Gathered Safely Inside {plants, clockwise from bottom left: Verbena canadensis with Stobilanthes dyerianus (Persian Shield), Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Red’ (Butterfly Weed), Angelonia angustifolia ‘Angelface Blue’ with Lysmachia nummularia (Creeping Jenny) and repeat} Sunlight & Calm Before the Storm {Asclepias curassavica ‘Silky Red’ and Verbena canadensis. Campo de’Fiori pots […]
Read More -
Stormy Weather …
Wind Driven Rain Looks like we’re in for some stormy weather. Hurricane Irene is tracking up the eastern seaboard, and though we’ll likely experience more of a tropical storm here in Vermont, Sunday is sure to be wild and wooly. I’ve been preparing my home and garden for the tropical storm —pulling outdoor furniture inside, […]
Read More -
Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Color in the Garden, Conifers, Decorating the Garden, flowering shrubs, Foliage, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening without Lawn, Hardy shrubs, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Massachusetts, Native Plants, New England, ornamental grass, Paths and Walkways, Pergolas and Arbors, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Replacing Lawn, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest
Renovate! How the Garden Next Door Went from Just Grass to Just Gorgeous …
A Prim & Proper Arbor Goes Drop-Dead Gorgeous in a Sexy New Shade of Sangria It’s been awhile since I last featured one of my residential garden design projects on The Gardener’s Eden. And to be completely honest, I’ve been too busy planning and installing gardens to do much writing these days. But over the […]
Read More -
Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, ornamental grass, Texture
The Magic of Morning Light …
A Web of Diamond Dewdrops, Left Dangling on the Balcony … Early morning light is magical in the late summer garden. Soft and warm, the gentle rays illuminate fine textures and shimmering dew drops. I love to stroll the garden paths at this time of day. Sometimes my best design ideas come in the early […]
Read More -
Chartreuse, Climbing plants, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Dark Plants, Garden Design Photos, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Native Plants, Perennials for summer, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Studio Garden, Summer Flowering Combinations, Summer Flowering Perennials, Summer flowering shrubs, The Seasons, Vines, Vines - Perennial, Wildflowers and Meadows, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Late Summer’s Bold Crescendo …
The Large Drift of Native Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) in my Garden Glows Bright as the Late Summer Sunset After the recent rain –almost overnight it seems– the gardens have exploded in a new wave of bloom. Stepping out with my morning coffee, I am seduced ’round the corner by the sweet and spicy fragrance […]
Read More -
The Seasons, Wildflowers and Meadows
Summer Lost and Found …
A Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly (Limenitis arthemis) Visits Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) in the Wildflower Meadow Where is summer? Has she flown? No, not yet. The days of this sweetest of seasons may be sliding by, but butterflies still float in meadows and ripe berries fill sunny hillsides. Though a touch of cool melancholy can […]
Read More -
Berries, Color in the Garden, Foliage, Raindrops
After the Rain …
The Vibrant but Subtle Detail of this Beautiful Leaf (Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’) is Even More Striking when Sprinkled with Water Droplets on a Rainy Day Ah, soft, sweet showers! At last, gentle grey clouds have delivered a long, cool drink of refreshing rain! I can almost hear my drought-parched garden singing a joyful song. And […]
Read More -
Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Shrubs for ornamental fruit
Hello There, Wayfaring Stranger: Viburnum lantana ‘Variegatum’ Greets Migrating Birds with Bright Red Fruits
Viburnum lantana ‘Variegatum’ – Variegated Wayfaring Viburnum with Fruit in August At this time of year —with migrating birds flocking to shrubs and trees, feasting on seeds and berries— the garden is alive with color and song. I love watching cedar waxwings and rose-breasted grosbeaks as they harvest ripe red fruit from branches of the […]
Read More -
Sturgeon Moonlight on the River & Magical Meteor Showers …
The Full Sturgeon Moon Rises Over the Connecticut River Clear summer evenings are always wonderful for star-gazing, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy the night sky is sprawled out on a great, big blanket on the back lawn. The Perseid meteor showers have been spectacular this month, and although the Full Sturgeon Moon […]
Read More -
Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds, Black Leaves - Trees, Black Plants, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Dark Plants, Extending the Growing Season, Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Hydrangea, Perennials : Vermont, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for summer, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Plants for sun, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Summer Flowering Combinations, The Seasons, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
The Loveliest Ladies of August: Summer’s Beautiful, Late Bloomers are Well Worth the Wait …
Blush-tinged blossoms and gorgeous, season-spanning foliage make Hydrangea quercifolia one of my favorite native plants (shown here with Juniperus squamata ‘Holger’ and the lingering blue flowers of Adenophora confusa) . Check out this shrub’s autumn coloration here! After last night’s much-needed rain, I awoke to the sound of hermit thrush, sweetly singing in the hemlock […]
Read More -
Helianthus: Radiant Halo of Gold …
Helianthus annuus ‘Double Quick Orange’ in the Kitchen Sunflowers: welcome, radiant, golden beauty of the late summer garden! Is there anything quite so uplifting as a vase filled with their bright, nodding faces? I’m a big fan of annual sunflowers, and every year I grow a wide variety of Helianthus annuus in my potager; both […]
Read More -
Container Gardening, Garden Maintenance, Uncategorized
Snip, Snip Here & Snip, Snip There: Mid-Season Container Taming Tips …
Pots Filled with Vibrant Annual, Tropical & Tender Perennial Plants Accent the South-Facing Stone Terrace. The Sun & Moon Urn is a Long-Time Garden Favorite I picked up in Mexico. Empty Pots Make Great Accents Between Lush Plantings. Having recently completed a whirl-wind maintenance tour of the Wildflower Walk and Secret Garden, my critical gaze […]
Read More -
Welcome August & Long, Languid, Sultry Summer Days …
August is a Table Filled with Freshly Cut Lemon Queen Sunflowers Welcome August … beautiful, voluptuous month of sultry days and starry nights. August is a month of fresh produce and delicious home cooked meals. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, beans, garlic and onions: the warm-season crops are at peak flavor and production. Pure […]
Read More -
annuals, Extending the Growing Season, Flower Seeds, Garden Maintenance, Garden Science, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Late Autumn Garden, Paths and Walkways, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Perennials for summer, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Science, Pollinating Insects, Seeds, Wildlife, Winter Garden
Reining in the Tumbling Floral Chaos: Mid-Summer Garden Maintenance …
Summer’s Wild, Tumbling Jumble (Juniperus squamata ‘Holger’, Hydrangea quercifolia, Amsonia hubrichtii, Adenophora confusa, Rudbeckia hirta, Sedum, Hosta and Adiantum pedatum) While out enjoying a morning stroll around the garden, taking in a blissfully cool and misty start to my day, a few flower stalks and juniper branches caught my attention by snapping at my ankles […]
Read More -
Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes, The Seasons, Tomatoes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Cool Inspiration for Hot Summer Days: Beautiful Cookbooks & Delicious Dinners from the Garden …
Hot day, Cool Dinner: Pasta with Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic Although I don’t consider myself anything more than an average home cook, experimenting in the kitchen certainly is one of my favorite pastimes. And in mid-summer —when my potager is filled with the best produce of the season— it’s a delight to stroll […]
Read More -
Berries, Cocktails, Recipes, Reflections, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
Fresh Picked Raspberry-Mint Daiquiris And Hazy Summer Reflections …
Fresh-Picked Raspberry-Mint Daiquiri An Afternoon Swim Favorite Old Summertime Slides Truth: I’m suffering from a bit of vacation envy this week. Months have passed since I’ve had a whole day to myself, and to be honest, I really need one. It’s been terribly hot, and I’ve been doing projects back-to-back. I try to “make hay while the […]
Read More -
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 […]
Read More -
Chartreuse, companion planting, Ground Covers, Hardy Succulents, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, rock garden plants, scree gardens, Stone Walkways, stonework, Succulents
A Carpet of Tiny, Jewel-Like Treasures: Hardy, Ground Covering Succulents …
Sedum spurium ‘John Creech’ Blooming on the Ledges Nature hates a vacuum, and when she sees one, she usually fills it as quickly as possible. As gardeners, we often find ourselves at odds with Mother Nature’s plant choices, and when we really dislike them, we call them “weeds”. Spaces between stepping stones, pockets between rocks […]
Read More -
Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Dried Flowers, Evergreens, Ferncliff, Foliage, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, Heath & Heather, Paths and Walkways, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for summer, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Replacing Lawn, rock garden plants, scree gardens, shrubs, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Summer flowering shrubs, Woody Plants
A Moody, Pale Lavender Haze … Heather-Covered Ledges Soothe the Eye In the Softest Shade of Summer …
The Soft Beauty of Lavender-Colored Heather: Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Knight’ Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Knight’, Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’ and Juniperus x pfizerianna ‘Sea Green’ Along the Ledgy Walkway A Hazy Slope of Heather (Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Knight’) in the Palest Shade of Lavender While much of my garden blooms in brilliant, sunny shades of gold, yellow […]
Read More