The Gardener's Eden

Tea Viburnum (V. setigerum) Berries, Dangling Against a Backdrop of Honey-Hued Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)

It’s late November, and the garden is growing quieter now. Gone are the high chrome colors of October, but the show is far from over. Late night visits from Jack Frost and the Sugar Plum Fairy are just beginning; coating the skeletal remains of summer in a fresh coat of crystal and lace. Copper, bronze, gold, silver and rust hues dance in the late afternoon light. And by early morning, paper-thin petals, ruby berries and feathery boas shimmer as the day breaks. It’s a glorious time of the year . . .

Even More Spectacular with a Coat of Ice Crystals, Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) Glows in Autumnal Shades of Marbled Copper  on the Garden Floor (Here with Wind-Strewn Hydrangea Blossoms)

My Long-time Love, the Coral Bells (Heuchera), Hold Delicate Seedpods into the Early Winter. I Adore the Way They Catch the Light and Bronze Up in Late Fall (Planted Here Along the Entry Walk with Carex morowii variegata)

Rust Never Sleeps in the Late November Garden. Here, Siberian Cypress (Microbiota decussata) Catches a Dusting of Late-Day Snow.

Blondes Definitely Have More Fun in the Late Autumn Landscape. Just Have a Look at This Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’). Isn’t She Sexy, Surrounded by All of the Black Pom-Pom Seed Heads, Ruby Sedum and Green Velvet Conifers? She’s Such a Bombshell.

Speaking of Bombshells… Is There Ever an End to Hydrangea’s Beauty? (H. paniculata ‘Limelight’)

November Does Have a Reputation for Being Grey and Dreary, But Some Mornings Shimmer in Golden Glory. Bare Silverbell Branches (Halesia tetraptera)  in Radiant, Early Morning Fog.

Photography and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/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 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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Dwarf Witch Alder (Fothergilla gardenii) & Hosta ‘August Moon’

Wisps of cool, grey fog, softly greet color-tinged leaves on the first morning of a new season . . .

Welcome Autumn! 

Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum ‘Bailey Compact’)

Doublefile Viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’), Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum ‘JN Select Red Wing’), Flame Grass (Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens), Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’) & Arkansas Blue Star (Amsonia hubrichtii) 

Doublefile Viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’) with Hosta ‘Blue Angel’

Tea Viburnum (V. setigerum) with Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’)

Cut Leaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’)

Fragrant Abelia (A. mosanensis)

Garden Design & Installation: Michaela Medina Harlow

Photography and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/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 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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Snow-Kissed Silverbell Branches & Frozen Water Droplets at Dawn

Sunrise Through a Powder-Coated Tangle of Hedge and Forest

Sunspots and Snowdrops 

Vanilla-Frosted Secret Garden Stairs

Awoke this early December morning to find a garden of sunspots, snowdrops, powdered sugar and ruby red, candied fruits. Everywhere I look, a magical transformation in white: winter dreams and fantasies …

Ruby Red Fruits with White Icing (Viburnum setigerum)

Winterberry Branches in New-Fallen Snow (Ilex verticillata)

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!

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links. A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

The Brilliant Vermillion Fruits of Tea Viburnum (V. setigerum) are Striking Against this Silvery-Mauve Screen of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ in My Garden

With two large garden design & installation projects to button up before the end of the year, fire wood to stack and countless post-Irene repairs to tackle, it seems the weeks are flying by in a wild blur. Indeed, the Autumnal Equinox is mere hours away, and the last days of summer are upon us. Even with my busy schedule, it’s hard to ignore the signs of fall, steadily creeping into my garden …

Arkansas Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) in the Wildflower Walk is Revealing Her Inner Chameleon (This delightful, spring-flowering native shifts from green to chartreuse-gold and orange as Autumn plays on)

Of course I will miss summer’s long days and balmy nights, but fall will always be my favorite season. I love observing the slow color-shifts in my autumn garden as verdant trees and shrubs come alive in shades of brilliant saffron, orange, scarlet, plum, smoke, violet and rust. The viburnum are particularly showy at this time of year —with colorful leaves and fruit— and already the cranberrybush, tea and nannyberry viburnum have started up the early show. I’ll be posting more photos of seasonal favorites as the garden’s grand finale progresses. For the early birds —settling into front-row seats, hoping for a glance of players rehearsing lines and slipping into costume— it’s never too soon to arrive at the theater …

Just a Few, Short Weeks Ago (Late August) the Stems of V. setigerum were Coral, But Fruits Held Green …

… Now Transformed to a Brilliant Shade of Orange

As Fall Progresses, North American Native Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) Fruits Morph from Kaleidoscopic Candy-Store Colors (above) to Deep Blue-Black (below)

Viburnum lentago Berries, Later in Autumn (Click Here to See More Plants with Ornamental Berries)

Bright Red Winterberries Provide a Visual Jolt in a Sea of Verdant Leaves and Blue-Green Juniper (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’, Juniperus chinensis ‘Sargentii’ and Lindera benzoin)

With Brilliant Fall Foliage (Starting Peachy Green and Peaking in Scarlet) and Cinnamon-Colored, Curling Bark, This Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) Has Much to Offer the Garden from Late Summer Through Winter

The Scarlet Fruits of Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ are Attractive to Many Birds (including my resident Catbird – click here to read more about this noisy little fella). This Wonderful Shrub Provides Fragrant Flowers in May, Shiny Green Leaves in Summer, Brilliant Berries, Kaleidoscopic Foliage in Autumn and Pretty, Frost-Covered Form in Winter.

I’m wild about Beautyberries, and Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issai’ —a hardy cultivar I planted in my garden a couple of years ago— is a real eye-popper! Each year I am rewarded with more and more glorious purple berries, and they are an absolute, autumnal delight! Read more about Callicarpa, and my obsession with this glorious shrub, by clicking here.

Eventually the Vivid Purple Fruits will Stand Alone on Bare Branches. Beautyberry Indeed! Click here to read more.

A Simple, Low-Maintenance, Trans-Seasonal Border: Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’, Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens and Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select, Redwing’ 

Photos and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, 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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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 with silvery raindrops sparkling on trees, shrubs and vines, it’s a wonderfully romantic time for a stroll along the misty garden path, beneath a wide umbrella. Won’t you join me for a spell?

Hearts and Teardrops: The Leaves of This Old-Time Favorite, Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla), Look Fresh and Lovely After the Rain …

I’m Pretty Crazy About ‘Bonfire’ Euphorbia Any Day of the Week (Euphorbia polychroma ‘Bonfire’), But I’m Particularly Smitten with the Jewel-Toned Leaves on Rainy Days, when They Sparkle and Shimmer Like a Vintage Brooch

The Ripening Berries on this Tea Viburnum (V. setigerum) Dangle Like Diamond-Studded Chandelier Earrings

Delicate New Inflorescences on this Switch Grass (Panicum virginicum ‘Heavy Metal’) Shimmer Between Showers (Backed up by Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’ aka ‘Diabolo’/’Monolo’)

One of the Great Beauties of Late Summer: Blushing Tufts of Smoke Bush (Cotinus Coggygria) Gleam and Glimmer Like a Cluster of Pale Pink Sapphires

The Simple Beauty of a Single Leaf: Silverbells are so-named for their beautiful white flowers, but after a summer shower, this over-turned Halesia tetraptera leaf also conjures a metallic finish

Near the End of the Walkway, Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Knight’ Glows Like Lavender in the Mist

Photographs and Text ⓒ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All photographs, 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!

Do you enjoy The Gardener’s Eden? You can help support this site by shopping through affiliate links (including Amazon book links). A small percentage of each sale will be paid to this site, helping to cover web hosting and maintenance costs. Thank you so much for your support!

The Remaining Fruit on this Tea Viburnum Gleams Like Candy Store Gumdrops (Viburnum setigerum) Against a Background of Honey-Colored Miscanthus

Surprised by a late November warm spell —gardens enveloped by quiet rain and soft fog— I found myself shrugging a few responsibilities and wandering around in the late afternoon light. Everywhere, tiny droplets of rain —caught between cobwebs and berry-laden branches—sparkled like a million loose diamonds. The last colors of autumn are slowly fading now —shifting toward subtler, wintery hues— and on misty days like today, the conifers —particularly blue-green junipers— look fresh and lovely beside damped stone walls, candy-colored fruits and bleached meadow grasses.

On busy days filled with life’s chaos —places to go and things to do— the gentle calm of nature whispers and soothes a busy mind. The garden is my sanctuary. So, before the holiday whirlwind sweeps you up and carries you away, take a walk with me… Breathe in the scent of the damp earth and listen to the sound of falling rain…

Holger’s Singleseed Juniper (Juniperus squamata ‘Holger’) Atop the Secret Garden Stairs

Viburnum setigerum: Berries with Rain Drops

Sprinkled in Sparkling Raindrops at the Edge of the Meadow: Deschampsia flexuosa (Tufted Hair Grass), Cotoneaster and Juniperus squamata ‘Holger’

Juniperus squamata ‘Holger’ (Holger’s Singleseed Juniper) Atop the Secret Garden Steps on a Foggy November Morning at Ferncliff

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ in the Late November Entry Garden at Ferncliff

Climbing Hydrangea Consumes a Lichen-Splotched Boulder at the Edge of the Garden (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris)

Flower-Remnants in Fog – Climbing Hydrangea (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris)

At Meadow’s Edge, Bleaching Flame Grass Continues to Add Texture and Warmth to the Landscape (Miscanthus purpurascens)

Rhus typhina, our Native Staghorn Sumac (read more about this beauty by clicking back, here)

The Texture and Color of Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’) Adds Subtle Beauty to the Late Autumn and Winter Landscape

Thousands of Raindrops Add Dazzling Sparkle to the Colorful November Foliage of Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’

Juniperus horizontalis Spills Over the Entryway Retaining Wall

Raindrops Collect on Cobwebs Lining the Cotoneaster (C. dammeri ‘Eichholz’) Spilling Over the Stone Retaining Wall

The Vertical, White Lines of Paper Birch Stand Stark Along the Toffee-Toned Hillside

The Rich, Caramel-Gold Color of  Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’ is a Welcoming Sight on a Foggy Day

***

Article and photographs ⓒ 2010 Michaela at TGE

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