Old Fashioned Flowers
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Bulbs, Cutting Garden, Heirloom Bulbs, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant Spotlight, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Summer Flowering Bulbs, Vases
Silvery Heirloom Treasures for the Vase: Nodding Stars-of-Bethlehem …
A late spring bulb for cutting: Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans) sitting pretty in a vase by New Mexico artist Heidi Loewen They are commonly called the Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem, and I think it may be the perfect name for this beautiful, silvery flower. Five autumns ago, with my late-spring cutting garden in mind, I ordered and […]
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Old Fashioned Flowers, Syringa vulgaris
Hedonistic Garden Pleasures: Lilac Lust
Fresh Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris): the Fragrance of Springtime Lilacs, Lily of the Valley,Viburnum, Daphne and Woodland Phlox; the fragrance of springtime swirls about me throughout the day as I tend to my work. One of my newer projects is a garden restoration and renovation. Oh how I love this detail. Ancient lilacs tower above me […]
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Bee-Friendly Gardens, Bulbs, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Ground Covers, Insects/Entomology, Lawns, Naturalistic Garden Design, New England, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Woody Plants
Hazy Color Drifts Carpet the Garden: Tiny Gifts of Early Spring…
Spring Heath (Erica carnea) Begins Blooming in Early April (click here to revisit my Erica carnea plant-profile post from last year). Here, Sprawling Across the Ledge  in the Entry Garden… The Pink, Hazy Blur of Spring Heath is Particularly Lovely Against Grey Sky and Cool Stone. On a Blustery Day, I Can’t Help but Think […]
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Bulbs, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Conservatory, Container Gardening, Fantasy Flowers, Glamorous Gardens, Green House Gardens, Indoor Gardening, Inspirational Gardens, Lyman Conservatory, Massachusetts, New England, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant Spotlight, Smith College Botanical Garden, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Vernal Equinox
A Warm Welcome to Spring: Blossoming Beauty at the Smith College Bulb Show…
Tulipa ‘Blue Spectacle’ Narcissus, tulips, hyacinth, freesia, iris and clivia; from the brash and bold to the delicate and ethereal, all of spring’s finest ladies were on display this week at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Bulb Show at Smith College’s Lyman Conservatory —where thousands of bulbs are carefully arranged and artfully displayed with flowering […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Black Leaves - Trees, Black Plants, Dried Flowers, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, flowering shrubs, Foliage, Fragrance, Gothic Garden, Hardy shrubs, Hydrangea, Indoor Table Arrangements, Late Autumn Garden, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Shade Gardening, Shrubs for fall color, Trees, Woody Plants
Hydrangea Paniculata ‘Limelight’: Gorgeous Color & Fragrance in the Vase & Late Summer Beauty in the Garden…
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ in the studio – Beautiful color and fragrance When it comes to romance in the garden, Hydrangea paniculata is never wishy-washy about where she stands. Voluptuous, lacy and fragrant; members of the panicled hydrangea clan are unabashedly feminine. Sometimes blushing and always glowing —the air about her buzzing with […]
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Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Cutting Garden, Ferncliff, Fresh Cut Flowers, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Native Plants, Old Fashioned Flowers, ornamental grass, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Summer Flowering Combinations, Summer Flowering Perennials
Penstemon, Rudbeckia and Veronica: An Easy, Breezy, Flowering Combination for Mid-Summer Meadow Gardens…
A Sunny Combination of Meadow Flowers for a Long-Blooming, Informal Summer Garden. Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE Bees buzzing in the garden, sun-tea brewing on the terrace, and books piled high beside the hammock; sweet summertime is here at last. I love waking up to early morning sunshine playing upon the warm, summery colors in […]
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Annual Flowers, annuals, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, Foliage, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Indoor Table Arrangements, Old Fashioned Flowers, Roses, Vases
I’ve Got Blooms on the Brain: Tips for Snipping & Clipping Fresh Cut Flowers…
Fresh cut, country-casual flowers on the kitchen island. Photo â“’ 2010 Michaela at TGE Is there anything sweeter than waking up to the scent of fresh flowers? I love setting a vase of blossoms beside my bed every evening, and my kitchen and dining room table are always dressed for dinner with a fresh bouquet. […]
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Fantasy Flowers, Flower arrangements, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Glamorous Gardens, Gothic Garden, History in the Garden, Old Fashioned Flowers, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Victorian Flowers
Time Standing Still: The Immortal Beauty of Duchesse de Nemours and the Pleasure of Peonies in June…
Creamy white Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ picks up some blush from pink-tinged ‘Mother’s Choice’ and an unidentified rose-red cultivar. Vase by Aletha Soulé. Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ © 2010 Michaela at TGE Oh, Victorie Augusta Antonia de Saxe-Coburg-Gotha -better known as the Duchesse de Nemours– you must have been an extraordinary woman to […]
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Ferncliff, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Old Fashioned Flowers, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Plants for shade, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
No Shrinking Violet: North American Native, Lovely Viola Labradorica…
Viola labradorica, (photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE), North American native Labrador violet… They say that Elizabeth Taylor once drew her lovers in with the flutter of her dark lashes and a passing glance from her violet-hued eyes. I have never seen eyes tinted in such a rich color, but I am sure that they […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, flowering shrubs, Flowering Shrubs and Trees for Forced Flowers, Forcing Branches in Winter, Fresh Cut Flowers, Garden Design, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant Spotlight, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs/Trees for Forced Flowers, The Seasons, Viburnum, Woody Plants
How To Describe the Beautiful Scent of Bodnant Viburnum ‘Dawn’ ?
Anticipation! Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ – buds swollen in cold spring rain… I have always found it a bit frustrating that -at least in English- fragrances don’t have names of their own. Have you noticed? When we describe smells, we use similes, (smells like…), or we borrow other words, because scents have none. Often we use […]
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Annual Flowering Vines, Annual Flowers, annuals, Celebrations, Cutting Garden, Flower Seeds, Fresh Cut Flowers, Front Yard Gardens, Old Fashioned Flowers, Seeds, Unusual Plants, Valentines Day Flowers
Don’t Break My Heart: A Love Story Written in Old Fashioned Flowers…
Sweet Peas, from Johnny’s Seeds One fine day in early spring, a ravishing young lady named Poppy was out tending her flowers when, without warning, a smooth-talking fella named Sweet William appeared at the garden gate. Poppy was immediately smitten, and she leaned toward him as he drew nearer the fence. He was charming and […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Berries, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, Dried Flowers, Exotic Plants, Fantasy Flowers, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Foliage, Fresh Cut Flowers, Garden Design, Hardy shrubs, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Hydrangea, Late Autumn Garden, Old Fashioned Flowers, Plant hunting, Plant Spotlight, Raindrops, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for ornamental fruit, The Seasons, Unusual Plants, Woody Plants
Autumn Brilliance Part Two – Plants for Spectacular Fall Color…
Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Issai’ (Purple Beautyberry) Could a gardener be diagnosed with OCD if she compulsively checks her ornamental shrubs for changing berry color? Can a collector’s passion for a particularly beautiful cultivar cross the line, where she becomes a stalker of plants? Sometimes I fear I’ve gone too far; slipped off the raft; teetered past […]
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