Gardening Inspiration
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Dark flowers, Gardening Inspiration, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens
Welcoming Late Summer’s Slow, Shadowy, Seductive Beauty . . .
Ligularia dentata ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ in the Secret Garden September is truly my favorite Summer month. In fact, now through early December is my preferred season to be outside and in the garden. Everyone loves springtime, of course, but when you’re employed in the field of horticulture and landscape design, it’s hard to find the time […]
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Bulb companions, Bulbs, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Conservatory, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Flower arrangements, Flower Shows, flowering shrubs, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fragrance, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Glamorous Gardens, Green House Gardens, House Plants, Indoor Eden, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Inspirational Gardens, Lyman Conservatory, MA, Massachusetts, Smith College Botanical Garden, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Springtime
Narcissus, Tulipa & Fragrant Hyacinth: Smith Botanic Garden’s 2018 Bulb Show
Tulipa, Narcissus & Sweetly Fragrant Hyacinth at Lyman Conservatory It’s 3:30 p.m. and snow is falling steadily here in Southern Vermont. The forecast is calling for 5-8Â inches overnight. These late winter storms can really give a gardener the blues, but I knew this nor’easter was coming, so I prepared. Bread and milk? Oh, no, […]
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Books, Container Gardening, Cookbooks, Cooking, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening without Lawn, Herb Gardening
Spring Planning with Rosalind Creasy’s ‘The Edible Herb Garden’
The Edible Herb Garden, Rosalind Creasy It’s late January. The ground is frozen, the hills are grey-brown and the garden is covered in ice. Convincing clients that now is the best time to create a landscape design for spring planting has never been easy. But it’s smart to begin now —when the snow is piled […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Books, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Container Gardening, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Gardening Inspiration, Pots, Pots and Pottery, Succulents, Succulents in Containers, Un-Flower Pots, Urns and Vessels
Pots in the Garden: Designing, Planting & Placing Containers in the Landscape… Part One: An Introduction to Color!
Weathered to Sweet Perfection: The Red-Orange Hue of an Old Terra Cotta Urn Complements a Carpet of Springtime Blues (Muscari armeniacum in foreground and Phlox divaricata in background) Late spring is the time of year when I begin planting and placing pots in the garden. Over the years, I’ve amassed quite a collection of urns, […]
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Begonias, cactus, Conservatory, Container Gardening, Decorating Ideas, Exotic Plants, Garden projects for kids, Garden Rooms, Gardening Inspiration, Green House Gardens, Home, House Plants, Indoor Eden, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Insects/Entomology, orchids, Organic Insect Control, Plant Spotlight, Poisonous Plants, Secret Garden Room, Succulents, Succulents in Containers
Out With The Old & In With The New: Creating A Lush & Lively Indoor Oasis …
Bringing Nature’s Beauty Indoors: A Scene from My Wintertime Oasis. Clockwise from back:Â Cycas revoluta, Agave geminifolia & Kalanchoe ‘Manginii’ I kicked my Christmas tree out yesterday (p.s. Sorry Mr. Balsam, I will miss your sweet fragrance, but you were growing stale and it was time for a fresh start). Of course no sooner did I […]
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Gardening Inspiration, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, New England, Paths and Walkways, Reflections, Stone Sculpture, stonework, The Seasons, Winter, Winter Garden, Woodland plants
Sticks, Stones & Magical Forest Mystery
Sticks and Stones: A Forest of Mystery Winter has arrived —swirling snowflakes and glazed pools all around— and yet the earth remains open in much of New England. Patches of snow dot my Vermont hillside, but elsewhere —in fields and forested areas nearby— the ground has yet to freeze and there’s nary a trace of […]
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Climbing plants, Color in the Garden, Conifers, Decorating Ideas, Decorating the Garden, Ferncliff, Fire Pits, Fire Pits and Fire Sculpture, Flower Seeds, Frost, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Perennials for Winter Interest, Planting Techniques, Plants for Texture, Sculpture, Sculpture and Features, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Shrubs with Textural Bark, Steps and Stairs - Stone, Stone Sculpture, Stone Walkways, stonework, The Seasons, Viburnum, Walkways - Stone, White & Silver, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening, Winter Solstice
Sparkling Texture & Dramatic Structure: Creating A Beautiful Winter Garden …
The Entry Garden at First Light in Early December, After a Dusting of Snow I often wonder why I bother to mourn the end of autumn when there’s so much magic and beauty to be found in the garden during this quiet time of the year. As we near the winter solstice, I find myself […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Ferncliff, Fragrance, Gardening Inspiration, Native North American Woodlands, ornamental grass, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, stonework, The Seasons, Witch hazel, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Misty Mornings & Golden Afternoons: The Burnished Beauty of Indian Summer
Soft Light Through Morning Fog at Woodland Edge Indian Summer —that deliciously warm, golden season between the first, light frost and the killing freeze— is like a sweet dessert after a perfect meal. Oh how I delight in these last, precious weeks of mild weather. Usually, I host an open studio and garden tour in […]
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Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Color in the Garden, Conifers, Decorating the Garden, flowering shrubs, Foliage, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Gardening without Lawn, Hardy shrubs, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Massachusetts, Native Plants, New England, ornamental grass, Paths and Walkways, Pergolas and Arbors, Plants for Light Effects, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Replacing Lawn, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, Shrubs for Winter Interest
Renovate! How the Garden Next Door Went from Just Grass to Just Gorgeous …
A Prim & Proper Arbor Goes Drop-Dead Gorgeous in a Sexy New Shade of Sangria It’s been awhile since I last featured one of my residential garden design projects on The Gardener’s Eden. And to be completely honest, I’ve been too busy planning and installing gardens to do much writing these days. But over the […]
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Farm Events, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Visits, Gardening Inspiration, Massachusetts, New England, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Inspiration: Cottage-Style Charm… Flowers, Fruit & Vegetables Combine With Whimsical Touches to Create a Colorful, Welcoming Potager…
A Riot of Annuals (Mixed Zinna) Creates a Bold Splash of Color in the Center of Carol Hillman’s Country Potager One of my favorite, near-by New England farms is a one-hundred-and-twenty-five year old orchard, belonging to the owners of New Salem Preserves, Carol Hillman and Robert Colnes. Together, this couple has created a beautiful homestead, […]
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Dining Outdoors, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Dining Rooms, Garden Rooms, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Herb Gardening, Kitchen, Uncategorized, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Designing an Enchanting Edible Garden And a Workshop for Vegetable Lovers…
My Backyard Potager – An Edible Oasis in Mid-July Like a butterfly flitting about the garden before deciding where to settle, I found myself drifting in and out of greenhouses and garden centers last weekend, ogling possible additions to my backyard potager. I couldn’t help but notice that the aisles of my favorite farm stand […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Color in the Garden, Container Gardening, Decorating the Garden, Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance, Gardening Inspiration, Glamorous Gardens, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Inspirational Gardens, Organic Insect Control, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Pots, Pots and Pottery, pruning, scree gardens, Succulents, Succulents in Containers, Texture
Un-Flower Pots: Designing & Caring for Spectacular Succulent Container Gardens
Beautiful Container Gardens are all about Color, Form and Texture. Great Designers Work with both Contrasts and Harmonies to Create Stunning Results. Hanging basket available at Walker Farm. Saturday morning I spent the better part of an hour and a half listening to enthusiastic oohs and ahhs at Walker Farm’s Succulent Container Gardening & Hanging […]
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Bee-Friendly Gardens, Butterflies and Moths, Extending the Growing Season, flowering shrubs, Garden Visits, Gardening Inspiration, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Inspirational Gardens, New England, organic gardening, Organic Insect Control, Summer flowering shrubs, Tropical Plants, Wind Breaks
On Magic Wings: A Visit to the Beautiful Butterfly Conservatory & Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden…
Postman (Heliconius melpomene) – Native to Central and South America Spring may be fast approaching, but yesterday’s cold and wintry temperatures left me craving a bit of warmth, moisture and color. I love visiting conservatories at this time of year, and fortunately, I live near several, wonderful gardens-beneath-glass. One of my favorite wintertime ‘vacation’ spots […]
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Cutting Garden, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, flowering shrubs, Flowering Shrubs and Trees for Forced Flowers, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Gardening Inspiration, Indoor Table Arrangements, New England, Plant Spotlight, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, shrubs, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs/Trees for Forced Flowers, The Seasons, Vernal Equinox, Winter, Woody Plants
First Hints of Spring…
Last Year’s Nest Remains Intact, Decorated with the Pink-Tinted Buds of Viburnum Bodnantense ‘Dawn’ Spring is exactly one month away, and eagerly, the garden awaits her arrival. Already, swollen buds, glowing bark and the sing-song voices of chickadees calling “spring’s here”, fill trees and shrubs with new life… On Warmer Days, Blushing Viburnum Buds Near […]
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Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Rooms, Gardening Inspiration, Ice Storms, The Seasons, Winter, Winter Garden, Woody Plants
Stolen Moments with Sleeping Beauty: Wintry Gardens & Morning’s First Blush
Drips Frozen in Motion: Ice-Glazes the Branches of this Halesia tetraptera (Mountain Silverbell) Setting aside my busy-work for an hour this morning, I found myself wandering along the garden’s ice-clad pathways; camera and steaming teacup in-hand. Â With pink sunlight illuminating glassy tree-tops, I couldn’t resist a peek at Sleeping Beauty —the garden deeply slumbering— in […]
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Bulbs, Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, Exotic Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Gardening Inspiration, Gifts for Gardeners, Glamorous Gardens, Great Growers and Nurseries, Home, Indoor Table Arrangements, Perennials for summer, Plant Spotlight, Plants for sun, Summer Flowering Bulbs, Summer Flowering Combinations, Summer Flowering Perennials
A Warm Wash of Fragrance: Dreaming Of Lilies and Sultry Summer Evenings…
Dreaming of Warm Summer Nights and a Garden Filled with Softly Blushing Lilies… Asiatic, Oriental, Trumpet, Species or Hybrid: I’ve yet to meet a lily without falling in love. And while my weekend may be filled with practical matters —shoveling, clearing hoop-houses of snow, cleaning grow lights and sorting seed packets— there’s sure to be […]
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Dan Snow Stonework, Ferncliff, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Glamorous Gardens, Home, Lighting, Night Garden, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Steps and Stairs - Stone, Stone Walkways, stonework, Texture, Walkways - Stone, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening
A Little Romance on a Winter’s Night…
Though the holidays have come and gone, snow-dusted landscapes continue to enchant. Twinkling, candlelit stairs, luminous paths and glowing, snow-capped tabletops greet the frosty evening. Meanwhile inside, a toasty fire crackles, and the scent of red wine & mulling spices warms the air. A Little Romance on a Winter’s Night… *** Words and Photographs â“’ […]
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Container Gardening, Exotic Plants, Ferns, Foliage, Garden Design, Gardening Inspiration, Great Growers and Nurseries, Green House Gardens, Home, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Insects/Entomology, Inspirational Gardens, Lyman Conservatory, Plant hunting, Terrariums
Beautiful Gardens Beneath Glass: Terrarium Care and Maintenance…
The Allure of Moisture – Mist and Water Droplets Inside a Garden Beneath Glass. Nephrolepis cordifolia ‘Duffii’ and Begonia ‘Trade Winds’ with Sphagnum moss and Ceramic Ornament in an Apothecary Jar. We are expecting a bit of snow this afternoon in Vermont. Nothing major is predicted by way of accumulation, but there will likely be a […]
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Fun in the Garden, Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Dining Rooms, Garden Party, Garden Rooms, Garden Structures, Gardening Inspiration, Other Blogs, Outside Architecture, Treehouses, Trees, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening
Winter Dreams and Frosty Fantasies: Magical, Snow-Covered Tree Houses…
Treehouse by Amazon Tree Houses – UK – This UK-based company designs and builds some of the most beautiful treehouses I have ever seen. They are truly fuel for fantasies and fairytales… Imagine being awakened by a gentle rocking sensation as wind sways your nest; watching snow flurries dance, high up in the treetops. Could […]
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Bark, Color in the Garden, flowering shrubs, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Rooms, Gardening Inspiration, Hardy shrubs, Hydrangea, Japanese Maple, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Nature, New England, North American Trees, Plants for Texture, shrubs, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Shrubs with Textural Bark, Texture, The Seasons, Trees with Textural Bark, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Papery, Peeling, Striped & Shaggy: Textural Bark Brings Warmth & Beauty To Stark, Wintery Landscapes…
From peach and cream to reddish brown, the peeling bark of our native, paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is one of my favorite textures in the winter landscape… Brr… It sure is cold outside. With temperatures hovering around 15 degrees fahrenheit here in Vermont, it takes an awful lot to stop me in my tracks for […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Conifers, Ferncliff, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Garden Rooms, Gardening Inspiration, Hoar Frost, Ice Storms, Inspirational Gardens, Moss, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, New England, North American Trees, ornamental grass, Outside Architecture, Paths and Walkways, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for Winter Interest, Planting Techniques, Plants for Texture, rock garden plants, Sculpture, shrubs, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Stone Walkways, stonework, The Seasons, Vines - Perennial, Winter, Winter Garden, Winter Gardening, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Garden Structure & Seasonal Texture: White Lace and Sparkling Silver Tulle Dance and Flirt in a Prelude to Winter…
The Entry Garden at First Light on December 11th I often wonder why I bother to mourn the end of autumn when there’s so much magic and beauty to be found in the garden during this quiet time of the year. As we near the winter solstice, I find myself every bit as enchanted by […]
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