Recent Posts
-
Hello, October . . .
Aster oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Speckless, blue skies, fiery foliage, brilliant light, colorful gourds and pumpkins, musky woodland walks, sparkling frosts, moody fog banks, starry nights, wood smoke and hot, mulled apple cider; hello October. Your beauty is simply beyond compare . . . Â Tea Viburnum Fruits Shimmer and Shine, Brilliant Orange Against the Buff Tassels […]
Read More -
What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?
A Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Peers, Curiously at Me, Through a Grassy Meadow There are many things I enjoy about working outdoors, but the opportunity to spot wildlife ranks near the top. Recently, while scoping out the site of a new garden design project, a friend spotted this young red fox (pictured above), peering out […]
Read More -
Welcoming Autumn’s Colorful Splendor
Rudbeckia subtomentosa  &  Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens Welcoming the Warmth & Brilliance of Autumn’s Kaleidoscopic Splendor on the First Day of Fall. Let the Technicolor Spectacle Begin!  The Meadow Border Catches Fire to Burn Through the Equinox (Amsonia hubrichtii, Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum), Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens, Rudbeckia subtomentosa, Juniperus pfitzeriana )  Viburnum trilobum, Miscanthus sinensis […]
Read More -
Celebrations, Cooking, Cooking with Kids, Dining Outdoors, Fruit for home gardens, Fruit Trees, Great Growers and Nurseries, Peaches, Recipes, The Last Day of Summer, The Seasons
Celebrating the Swan Song of Summer: Grilled Peaches with Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onions & Pecans . . .
 Grilled Peaches with Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Pecans & Balsamic Glaze Gloria Peaches at Scott Farm Orchard, Vermont. According to Scott Farm orchard manager, Zeke Goodband, these beautiful, sweet, firm-fleshed peaches are the perfect choice for grilling and roasting! Beautiful Scott Farm Peaches, Almost too Good to Eat Oh summer, summer, summer . . […]
Read More -
On the Magic of Harvest Moon . . .
Moonrise and Maiden Grass in the September Garden Last night I caught moonrise —growing full and bright in sunset’s afterglow— in the garden as I scrambled to cover heirloom tomatoes and ripening bell peppers before dusk. With clear skies and a threat of frost in the evening air, it seems that autumn is arriving prematurely […]
Read More -
Perennial Close-Ups, Perennial Garden Design
September’s Most Stylish Party Goers: Fashionably Late-Season Flowers . . .
Northern Climes can be a Challenge for Rose Lovers, but Rosa de Rescht Likes to Close Out a Party, Ending the Summer Season with a  Midnight Kiss from Jack Frost Though sweet Summer shall stay with us a few more days, Autumn’s perfume swirls about in the chilly evening air. There’s no denying now that […]
Read More -
Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Birds in the Garden
Morning Coffee with the Eastern Phoebe
 An Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), Perches Upon the Rusty Metal Garden Bench in Front of Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Edo Shibori’ As part of an ongoing effort to savor every last drop of summer, I’ve vowed to take my work and meals outside whenever possible. For the past few days, I’ve been lured out to coffee on […]
Read More -
Native Plants, New England, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for summer
September Charmer: Chelone lyonii’s Late-Blooming Beauty Spans the Seasons
 Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ with Lovely ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea (H. paniculata) September is a mostly summer month, and yet, there’s something about Labor Day weekend that signals the unofficial start of fall. Well, much as I love autumn, I’m just not ready yet and neither is my garden! Although the beds and borders look a bit […]
Read More -
September’s Golden Sunrise . . .
September’s Golden Sunrise, Through the Silverbell Leaves (Halesia tetraptera) Savoring the Last Weeks of Summer and Anticipating the Sweetness of Autumn – Welcome, Beautiful September! Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and […]
Read More -
In the Hazy Light of August . . .
The Home Stretch of Summer Crickets, bluejays, morning fog, lazy sunrises & lengthening shadows; September is coming . . . Seems We’re all Soaking Up the Last, Warm, Hazy Days of August . . . Photography & Text â“’ Michaela Medina Harlow/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), […]
Read More -
Lost in a Late Summer Reverie . . .
 On the Terrace: Dahlia ‘Karma Choc’ and Angelonia angustifolia ‘Angelface Dark Violet’ Out watering containers this morning —listening to the chorus of crickets in the meadow and cedar waxwings in the viburnum— I found myself lost in a late summer reverie. With Dahlias, Summersweet, fragrant Lilies, Garden Phlox and Hydrangea in bloom, ornamental grasses sending […]
Read More -
Anticipating the Blue, Green Corn Moon
Magical Moonlight on My Hilltop When skies are clear and the timing is right, August’s full, Green Corn Moon is often spectacular. Tonight it will be extra special, as this full moon, also known as the Sturgeon Moon and Grain Moon, is a Blue Moon as well. Yes, yes, I know there’s only one full […]
Read More -
As the Days of Late Summer Fly By . . .
Above the Ripe Fields – Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts Spending a bit more time in the air again, of late… Enjoying the beauty of the New England landscape, from above. Some time away, a fresh perspective… All good. And so, I’ve collected and edited a visual journal of these hours and days. Colors, textures and patterns; […]
Read More -
Beauty Everlasting: Drying Flowers . . .
Arms Full of Heather, Gathered from the Ledges (Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Knight’), for Drying in Bundles In a cool climate like New England, with a short growing season and so much to do, summers often feel as if they are passing by too quickly. It seems like we’re all scrambling to stretch out the warm […]
Read More -
All Hail, Amazing Kale! Jennifer Audette On Summer’s Hippest Superfood & Sumptuous Peach, Corn & Kale Salad . . .
Peach, Corn & Kale Salad, Recipe Below Kale, glorious kale. A member of the extensive Brassica oleracea species (cultivars: cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, savoy), kale is in the acephala group, which means “headlessâ€. Kale and its nearly identical partner, collards, are likely quite similar to the earliest forms of cultivated cabbage, which were […]
Read More -
Studio Days . . .
 Ladybells and Black-Eyed Susans Tumble Down the Misty, Secret Garden Stairs Sweet, sweet summertime. As July slowly slides into August, I find myself falling into a familiar mid-summer rhythm. Up before dawn with the songbirds, I brew a pot of coffee and head outside to water containers on the terrace. From there, I meander on […]
Read More -
A Blueberry Smash in the Moonlight & Cocktail Gardening Gone Wild . . .
 Icy, Cool, Blueberry Smash Have you heard? Cocktail gardening is all the rage these days. Of course, mixing drinks from fresh-picked ingredients has been popular with gardeners for as long as booze and backyards have been around, but it always seems to take mainstream media awhile to catch up, now doesn’t it? Strictly speaking, I’ve […]
Read More -
Embracing the Long, Hot Summer . . . Designing a Water Wise Garden
 Rudbeckia hirta, Blooming a Wild River of Gold in Morning Fog Welcome to high summer! With temperatures soaring and scant rainfall last week, suddenly this gardener switched from wellies and rain ponchos to flip flops, sundresses and watering wands. New England —always known for its fast-changing weather— has been experiencing some atypical summer extremes. For […]
Read More -
Celebrating July’s Thunder Moon . . .
July’s Long Daylight Hours and Dramatic Skies Make for Spectacular Moon Viewing Be sure to watch for tonight’s full, Thunder Moon when it rises at  8:03 pm ET. The Thunder Moon is also commonly called the Buck Moon, and with July’s long days and dramatic skies, this month’s moonrise is often a spectacular show. The […]
Read More -
Flight of Fancy: Gardens Filled with Song
 A Young Cedar Waxwing Perches Upon a Carolina Silverbell Branch (Halesia tetraptera) Outside My Door I’ve always been fascinated by birds, and enjoy the challenge of identifying them visually, as well as by their calls and songs. This is a pastime I picked up from my parents, who are both avid bird watchers. One of […]
Read More -
Winged Guests & Days of Wild Wonder
 Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly on Garden Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) with Nishiki Willow (Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’) Beyond Early in the morning —in the still before sunrise, when the air is calm and cool— the garden awakens with a fluttering dance. Red-Spotted Purple butterflies —dusty plum-black wings, dotted with aqua and scarlet— flit about the sleepy Valerian, […]
Read More