Recent Posts

  • Sweet Reward of Early Springtime: Hamamelis vernalis, Ozark Witch Hazel

     The Sweet Scent of Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis), Fills the Air Out pruning and raking in the garden —lingering late in the garden on these long, warm days— the delightful scent of North American native, Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis), fills the air. When warm weather arrives early in Vermont —as it has this year— […]

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  • Back to the Garden

     Betula papyrifera on the Hillside at Sunrise After a light and lovely winter, spring has come early to Vermont this year. I went on two site visits this week and have begun work on my first garden design plans of 2016. Hard to believe it’s still early March. Hello again. It’s been a long while […]

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  • Welcome December

      Frosted Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) in Morning Light Welcome, December, with your sparkling, festive ways!  Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Sparkle like Stars Blushing, Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Bathed in Rose-Gold Light Photography & Text â“’  Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, […]

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  • Late Autumn’s Lingering Beauty

     Tea Viburnum (Viburnum setigerum) paired with Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’) on a Foggy Morn When nature is generous with her warmth, November is one of my favorite months of the year. We’ve had a long, luxurious autumn; warm days, clear nights and foggy mornings. Blissful days for a gardener. Two of my late-season favorites […]

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  • Welcome Autumn!

    Above Lake Whitingham, Vermont  A warm welcome to the Autumnal Equinox & the glorious season of fall. Photography & Text â“’  Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of Michaela Medina Harlow and/or The Gardener’s Eden and may not be […]

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  • Celebrating August’s Sturgeon Moon 

     In the Moonlit Garden  There’s a full moon tonight, and if last night’s show was any indication, this one should be spectacular. August’s Sturgeon Moon —also known as the Green Corn or Blueberry Moon— is at perigee, making this another one of those fabulous ‘super moons’ (you read more about that here on the earthsky […]

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  • Ligularia dentata ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’: Lovely, Late Summer Leopard Plant

    Ligularia dentata ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ in the Secret Garden Well hello again, Secret Garden. It’s nice to see you. I’ve been away so much this summer, I hardly recognize you. You’re a bit wild and unkempt, it’s true, but still, you look so lovely. Plentiful rain has done wonders for the garden this growing season. Just […]

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  • A Moment of Verdant Bliss

     Cool, lush, verdant: a moment of mid-summer bliss in the Secret Garden It’s been an incredibly rewarding, but also a busy and stressful week at my studio. I bite my nails when anxiety rises and I know that worrying about tomorrow robs me of today. Gardening has taught me to slow down and stay in […]

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  • The Summer Camellia Greets Mid-July: Stewartia pseudocamellia in Full Bloom 

    Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) covered in her finest summer white  Spring-blooming trees are lovely indeed —greeting winter-weary eyes with bright pops of color in an otherwise muted landscape— but summer-blooming trees? I often post about the lack of dog-day focus in garden design —despite the myriad, mid-season options— and the dearth of flowering trees in […]

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  • Blowzy Beauty in the Summer Heat

     Hemerocallis, Geranium ‘Brookside’ and Rudbeckia hirta ‘Becky Mixed’ glow in late afternoon light, backed up by Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’, Itea virginica and Amsonia illustris. In the heat of summer, when delicate flowers wilt in the noonday sun, some tough plants really strut their stuff. Experienced gardeners know that although they may seem less glamorous […]

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  • Inspired by Woodlands and Wetlands, New Oils and Pastels on Exhibit at the Crowell Gallery in Newfane, VT

    On exhibit this month at The Crowell Gallery in Newfane, Vermont, new oils and pastels inspired by woodlands and wetlands. If you find yourself in Southern Vermont, please stop in to see the show. For more information, please visit: MichaelaHarlow.com Summer Porch, 2014, Pastel Within the Storm, 2014, Pastel July Wilding, 2014, Pastel …

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  • Welcome Summer

       Rudbeckia hirta & Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ greet Summer Solstice Welcome Summer! Photography & Text â“’  Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of Michaela Medina Harlow and/or The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in […]

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  • Peony Season in New England

    Paeonia lactiflora begins her reign in this entry garden I designed for a favorite Vermont client. Also in bloom here is Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’, singing harmony beside the Martin-violet tinted foliage of Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker’s Red’ Photography & Text â“’  Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, artwork, articles and content on this site […]

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  • Spring Showers & Bits of Maytime Beauty

     Silverbell Blossoms, Scattered Upon the Stone Terrace (Halesia tetraptera) Soft, moist air, sweet perfume and lush color everywhere; how I love rainy, May days in the garden. Raindrops make everything more beautiful . . .  Resettling plants and soil after wintertime damage from rodents is hardly a chore when surrounded by blossoming Lily-of-the-Valley and Daphne […]

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  • Soft, Slow Mornings 

     Slowly Down the Garden Path After a very chilly April, May arrived and turned up the heat. Temperatures here shot up to the mid-eighties and nary a raindrop fell. Unpredictable is what we call typical, here in New England. My garden design schedule is purposefully light this year. I have but a few projects on […]

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  • Back to the Garden

    Raking, Pruning and Filling the Secret Garden Water Bowl; It’s Good to be Back in the Garden Finally, a Sunday without sleet or snow and nothing on the schedule but gardening! A quick break inside for a pot of hot coffee and some cookies with you. Hope you are well and getting back to your […]

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  • Welcome to Spring

     Seasonal Joys W E L C O M E    S P R I N G   ! Our seasons are officially changing. The vernal equinox arrives in the Northern Hemisphere today, March 20 at 22:45 UTC, or 6:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. I’m sure ready to get back in my garden, how about you? […]

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  • Springtime Joy As Winter Wanes . . .

    The Golden Glow of Springtime: Hamamelis vernalis  It’s been a long, long, harsh winter in New England. This year, more than any in recent memory, we all seem anxious for any sign that the seasons are about to change. Bodnant viburnum, vernal witch hazel, pussy willow, golden spicebush, snowdrops, crocus; as gardeners we cherish these […]

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  • A Moment for Peace: Artist’s Talk Friday, March 6th in Brattleboro, VT

     October Thicket, 2014 – Pastel on Paper (limited-edition, archival prints available – click here for details)  I’ve been invited to give a brief talk about the relationship between artist and natural environment as part of the creative process at “Moment for Peace” this Friday evening, March 6th at 5:30 p.m. in Brattleboro, Vermont. The talk […]

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  • A Little Romance with Miniature Roses

    Although I am very fond of winter, I confess that my indoor garden is a great source of pleasure at this time of year. There’s something undeniably delicious about waking up to the sweet scent of roses on a cold morning. Buying fresh flowers is part of my winter shopping routine, but I rarely purchase […]

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  • Hearty, Potato-Cheddar Soup with Beer & Signs of Life in the Dead of Winter

    Winter is Soup Season: A Bowl of Potato-Cheddar Really Warms the Spirits This article was originally published on January 30, 2011 “The Dead of Winter”: I spent a good part of yesterday ruminating on this phrase. Is winter really dead? I suppose it might seem that way if you spend all of your time indoors. […]

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