Recent Posts
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Garden Maintenance, garden tools, pruning
Selecting Quality Gardening Tools to Last a Lifetime: Part One…
Looks like it’s finally that time of the year: Gardening season! Time to pull out the tools and get to work. Most of my gardening equipment is in pretty good shape, but there are a few repairs and replacements I need to make this year. I can still remember shopping for gardening tools with my father […]
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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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Art Inspired by Nature: Presenting the Celebratory Work and World of Artist Roger Sandes…
Water Garden: Sky © Roger Sandes – Acrylic on panel, (36″ x 72″) Springtime at last! With the snow finally receding and bright sunlight warming earth, to me it feels as if the entire world is awakening at once. In celebration of the first week of spring, and as part of our ongoing “Art Inspired […]
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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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Celebrations, Cocktails, Cookbooks, Cooking, Herb Gardening, Recipes, Vernal Equinox
Is There a Cure for Spring Fever? How About a Flirty Little Cocktail to Celebrate the Vernal Equinox…
The Strawberry Flirt – A Spring-Fling Cocktail to Celebrate the Vernal Equinox Spring is a flirtatious season. A coquettish, unpredictable lover. We long for her, but she makes us wait. She takes her time, dropping hints; kissing flower buds with her pouty lips and sending promises on winged messengers. When she finally arrives she often […]
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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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Books, Bulbs, Cutting Garden, Garden Visits, Gardening Inspiration, Lyman Conservatory, Public Gardens, Smith College Botanical Garden, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs
A Prelude to Spring: Getting Intoxicated at the Smith College Bulb Show…
Tulipa © 2010 Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden Lyman Conservatory, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts Situated in one of the prettiest small towns in America -Northampton, Massachusetts- Smith College’s crown jewel, Lyman Conservatory, is a pleasure to visit at any time of the year. This beautiful oasis has always been one of my favorite horticultural destinations. When […]
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Books, Organic Disease Control, organic gardening, Organic Insect Control, soil science, Vegetable Gardening
Organic Manifesto: Maria Rodale’s Unflinching Look at the Perilous State of Farming in America & A Call to Action…
Maria Rodale’s Organic Manifesto, (available at Barnes & Noble today) Last year, when a friend of mine insisted that I rent and watch “King Corn”, I put my name on a long waiting list, even though I am not one to get overly excited about documentaries. I’d heard about the film of course, and after […]
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Annual Flowers, Books, Building, Conservatory, Green House Gardens, Indoor Gardening, Inspirational Gardens, Terrariums, Tropical Plants, Unusual Plants, Winter Garden
Dreaming of a Horticultural Harem Overflowing with Hot House Hotties…
Hot, Hot Hibiscus © 2010 Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden Earlier this week in my post, “Ode to the Oscars”, comparing Oscar gowns to hot house flowers, I briefly mentioned that I am “conservatory sitting” for friends.  The owners of this small commercial greenhouse/nursery will be returning from the UK early next week, and sadly, […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Insects/Entomology, Nature, organic gardening, Organic Insect Control, Vegetable Gardening
Hello Friend – WAIT – Whose Team Are You On Anyway?
It’s easy to recognize this friend as an adult. A ladybug rests upon Peperomia. Photo © Michaela at TGE Hello friend… or foe? In all of life it’s important to know your friends from your enemies, but as gardeners this issue is especially important. We are conditioned to think of bugs as destructive, ‘icky’ and […]
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Conservatory, Exotic Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Gardening Inspiration, Glamorous Gardens, Green House Gardens, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, Rare Plants, Tropical Plants, Unusual Plants
Ode to the Oscars: If They Were Flowers Botanical Stars Shine on the First Annual ‘Conservatory Awards’ Red Carpet…
Dress by Agapanthus, ‘Lily of the Nile’ © Michaela TGE As worn by ethereal Rachel McAdams © Steve Gratnitz/Wireimage via Yahoo.com The great Bard Shakespeare once wrote that “all the world’s a stage”. Well, the thought certainly crossed my mind today as I worked, surrounded by hundreds of surreal beauties inhabiting a small greenhouse temporarily […]
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Berries, Cooking, Recipes, Vaccinium, Vegetable Gardening
I Found My Thrill…
Blueberry Hill Hot Cakes with Syrup Some people never make a mess. Seriously. Have you noticed? Well, I don’t know about you, but those folks worry me. I mean, some of the best fun I’ve had in my life has involved mess. And I don’t mean a little mess. I mean a great, big, rip-roaring, […]
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Conservatory, Dark Plants, Home, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Plant hunting, Plant Spotlight, Terrariums, Tropical Plants, Unusual Plants
Hello, I Love You. Won’t You Tell Me Your Name?
Peperomia caperata ‘Raspberry Ripple’ Look at this dark, smoldering beauty ! Have I introduced you to my latest crush? The mysterious, maroon-hued Peperomia caperata ‘Raspberry Ripple’ ? No ? Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve been so distracted, I think I forgot. Shame on my recent preoccupation with mundane, practical things like snow removal. Well, here she is […]
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Building, Cooking, Furniture, Home, Kitchen
Functional Art, Inspired by Nature: Many Thanks to Talented Ana White and Knock-Off Wood…
My new, home-built, farmhouse style work island, in my very own kitchen, (before finish oil) Want to know a secret? I stash glossy magazines under my bed. And sometimes, late at night, I pull them out and let my fantasies run wild. Do you do it too? You know the ones I mean. The naughty […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Books, Children and Gardening, Cutting Garden, Seeds, Vegetable Gardening
Sowing the Seeds of the Future: Starting Early, In More Ways Than One…
Dharma’s Sunflower Seeds, Photograph © Tim Geiss Is it just me, or does it seem like there are babies everywhere right now? While visiting my sister last week, we stopped in at her local bakery for a quick lunch and the place was just packed with expectant mothers, infants, toddlers and little children. Everywhere I […]
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Black Plants, Ferncliff, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, North American Trees, ornamental grass, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, shrubs, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Winter, Winter Garden, Woodland plants
The White Witch Cometh…
The Morning after the Storm… The White Witch roared back up the hill last night in her icy chariot. My oh my, is she a beautiful and treacherous queen. She was angry, and she swirled her crystal scarf and heavy cloak in a fit of rage. Behind her, the cold sorceress dragged a wet blanket […]
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Ferncliff, Johnny (my John Deere 4300), Native North American Woodlands, Nature, Shoes/Boots, The Seasons, Tractors, Winter, Winter Garden
Just In Case You Were Wondering…
Yes, I am still here… So much for that early spring, eh Michaela? Status report: two feet of snow in the Green Mountains, with an ice storm and a wind advisory, (gusts to 50 mph), winding up right behind. The power has been on and off – mostly off yesterday – for two days. Keep […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Birds, Black Plants, Cooking, Dark Plants, Garden Design, Gardening Inspiration, Herb Gardening, Organic Insect Control, Plant Spotlight, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Vegetable Gardening, Virginia Wyoming Pottery, Winter Garden
The Gothic Gourmet: Black Beauties and Dark Delights of the Potager…
Pasilla Bajio (the little raisin) – from White Flower Farm Imagine gleaming, glossy, black peppers, shiny as patent leather shoes. Picture dark red, tell-tale-heart tomatoes and ebony eggplant polished to a satiny patina. Now visualize amethyst hued basil, purple kohlrabi and blue-black cabbage. Intrigued? Welcome to the slightly sinister, and delightfully decadent world of gothic-gourmet […]
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Apples, Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes
Apple Pancake Tart for Breakfast: The Simple Pleasures of Country Living…
Apple Pancake Tart for Breakfast, Brunch or Dessert. Platter by Aletha Soule… I adore cities: San Francisco; New Orleans; New York; Florence; Munich – in that order. I love urban energy, art, culture, food and people. But as much as I enjoy traveling, I am a homebody at heart. After a day spent struggling through […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Birds
Feathering the Nest: Providing for Birds This Spring in the Garden…
My dad’s homemade wren and bluebird houses, cleaned, ready and waiting for placement… Well, I have pulled out my bird houses, but as you can see, they won’t be filled with tenants anytime soon. It’s snowing here in the Green Mountains today. Nothing major, thank goodness, but we may be getting some accumulating snow tomorrow, […]
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Annual Flowering Vines, Annual Flowers, annuals, Celebrations, Cutting Garden, Flower Seeds, Fresh Cut Flowers, Front Yard Gardens, Old Fashioned Flowers, Seeds, Unusual Plants, Valentines Day Flowers
Don’t Break My Heart: A Love Story Written in Old Fashioned Flowers…
Sweet Peas, from Johnny’s Seeds One fine day in early spring, a ravishing young lady named Poppy was out tending her flowers when, without warning, a smooth-talking fella named Sweet William appeared at the garden gate. Poppy was immediately smitten, and she leaned toward him as he drew nearer the fence. He was charming and […]
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