December 11th, 2017 § § permalink
Solstice Season in the Secret Garden
First snow. Powder swirls about the Secret Garden, dusting peaks, tracing lines and filling every crevice. The forest, enchanted, drifts softly off to sleep . . .
Winter bares her beautiful bones
Article & Photography copyright Michaela Harlow at The Gardener’s Eden, all rights reserved. All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be used, reproduced or reposted elsewhere without written consent.
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February 1st, 2014 § Comments Off on Hello February . . . § permalink
Sunrise Salutations
Hello, friends. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I missed you and I hope you’ve been well. I decided to take a brief sabbatical from blogging during the month of January, in order to focus my attention on painting. Well, the days spilled into weeks, and before I knew it, an entire month had passed. Here we are, in February.
Sunlight in My Snow-Covered, Secret Garden
Although it’s still winter, there’s something about the increasing light that makes this month a bit less brutal in the northern climes. The weather has been very cold this year, but the atmospheric conditions have made for some spectacular winter walks. How have you been? Do you embrace the season and get outside on snowshoes, skates or skis to enjoy the sparkling, snow-covered landscape, or do you prefer to curl up inside with hot chocolate, seed catalogs and gardening books?
I’ll be here a bit more this month; sharing images from around the garden, forest and beyond. Thanks for stopping by!
Blue Shadows and Sparkling Ice-Clad Branches (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’)
Photography & Text ⓒ 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 any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without permission. Thank you!
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December 14th, 2013 § § permalink
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
Season’s greetings, friends. I’ve been away from my desk for awhile, busy preparing for winter and planning for exciting things to come. But time marches on, and suddenly I realized, it’s been weeks since my last post. The season is changing quickly now, with frigid weather marking late autumn’s end. These last few weeks have been a blur; dramatic, wintry weather shrouding the landscape with a moody mix of fog, sleet, soft snow and freezing rain. Winter’s chariot is on the way, and the Secret Garden has morphed into a magical ice palace, waiting to greet her . . .
A Stroll Through the Secret Garden is Like a Walking Inside a Magical Snow Globe
And Early December Snowfall is Always the Prettiest
Before All of the Papery, Delicately Dried Flowers are Buried Beneath a Mountain of White
And the Secret Garden Steps are Lost Under Winter’s Snowy Blanket
It’s Time to Illuminate the Lanterns, Lightly-Dusted at the Secret Garden Door
And Light the Tree for Solstice, Here in the Enchanted Forest
Photography & Text ⓒ 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 any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without permission. Thank you!
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November 26th, 2013 § Comments Off on November Light, A Dusting of Snow & The Beauty of Late Autumn Hues . . . § permalink
Gathered from the Garden: Winterberry Branches by the Armful
Late autumn and early winter are like two jealous siblings, pushing and pulling for our attention on Mother Nature’s beautiful playground. One day, autumn will win out; all golden light and tawny strands, running wild in the wind. And the next, winter pushes her back and takes over; frost, fog and flurries blurring the landscape like a pastel painting. Of course, I can’t help but love them both, and I delight in their back-and-forth as the days grow colder and shorter now, so late in the year.
My garden installation work winding down, I’m settling back into the studio as the snow begins to fly. As always, I seek inspiration in the natural landscape; drawing upon the beauty of stark lines and late autumn hues, low light and softening snow squalls. On long walks through the garden, forest and surrounding landscape, I gather as many winterberry branches, hemlock boughs, pinecones and tufts of maiden grass as my arms can carry.
It’s time to begin decking the halls & for seasonal celebrations to begin.
Wild Winterberries (Ilex verticillata) Dot the Swampy Shore
Dried Asters Shimmer, Backlit Blond in the Meadow
Tea Viburnum Fruits (V. setigerum), Brilliant Scarlet in a Tawny Landscape
Sunlight Dances Upon the Faded Grandeur of Autumn’s Finery
Beauty Everlasting: Snow-Dusted Hydrangea Blossoms, Still Hold a Beautiful Bronze Hue
Bunches and Bunches of Bright Red Winterberries (Ilex verticillata) Brighten a Wintry Autumn Day
The Empty Garden’s Haunting Beauty (Rudbeckia hirta, Miscanthus sinensis & Companions)
Photography & Textⓒ 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 any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Please do not take my photographs without asking first. Thank you!
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January 13th, 2012 § § permalink
The Garden, Cloaked in Ice-Cappeded Snow (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’)
Awoke this morning to find Winter —after a long and inexplicable absence— has finally returned; cloaking the garden in shades of alabaster and cream. Vibrant shades of red and gold punctuate the stark landscape; jewel-like accessories on Winter’s cool, icy ensemble. Driving conditions are treacherous in the hills today, but who would want to depart with such beauty to admire?
Winter’s Vibrant Red and Gold (Viburnum setigerum berries backed up by the blond blades of Miscanthus sinensis)
Icy Branches Dance in a Wild Swirl of Flurries (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’)
Secret Garden Entry on a Winter’s Day (Foreground: Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’ & Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’)
Frozen Remnants of Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Nicolas’)
Secret Garden Entry Border in Winter (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ & Juniperus chinensis ‘Sargentii’)
Frozen Strands of Honey-Colored Beauty (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Gold Mop’)
Tartarian Dogwood Lights Up the Forest Like Flames in the Ice and Fog (Cornus alba ‘Siberica’)
Delicate, Crystal-Coated Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ in foreground & Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ in back)
Like Crystal-Crusted Rubies: Cotoneaster Berries in Snow (Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Eichholz’)
Fading Flame Grass and Weigela’s Brown, Twiggy Bones (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’, Weigela florida ‘Red Prince’)
Photographs and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All photos, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions) are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Thank you!
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December 23rd, 2011 § § permalink
Sometimes Dreams Really Do Come True …
An Early Morning Welcome to Wonderland with a Garden of Sleeping Beauty, Blanketed in White!
Fresh Snow Coats the Secret Garden Door Like Fine Ivory Lace
And Could There Be a Merrier Welcome to Christmas …
Than a Pretty, Snow-Coated Entryway?
All Stonework Featured Here is by Vermont Artist Dan Snow
Garden Design by Michaela Medina
Photographs and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All photos, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions) are the original, copyrighted property of The Gardener’s Eden and may not be reposted, reproduced or used in any way without prior written consent. Contact information is in the left side bar. Thank you!
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December 1st, 2009 § § permalink
Sleigh bells ring… are you listening ?
“When it snows, ain’t it thrilling, though your nose gets a chilling? We’ll frolic and play the Eskimo way, walking in a winter wonderland”…
Welcome December !
Hellebores gleam and glimmer like stars in white glitter…
A branch of Cotoneaster, loaded with red berries, reminiscent of a ruby necklace, dusted with snow…
The twinkling forest on a frosty morning…
The Secret Garden steps look as if someone carelessly ripped a bag of powdered sugar while sneaking sweets inside…
Ilex verticillata ‘Red sprite’ and Juniperus chinensis ‘Sargentii’ dusted with snow…
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’,(‘Blue Rug’), could pass for fine white lace…
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, delicately powdered…
Heuchera seed-pods with ice droplets, sparkle and gleam in morning light
Rodgersia remnants strike a feminine pose beside the stone wall…
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“Winter Wonderland” melody by Dick Smith and Felix Bernard – 1934
Article and photographs copyright 2009, Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden
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