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Welcome September . . .
Raydon’s Favorite Aster with Amsonia and Flame Grass in the Background Welcome, September. The golden bridge between late Summer and Autumn. Some of my favorite flowers, fruits and foliage are at their peak during this beautiful time of the year. September is a mostly-summer month, with warm days and star-filled nights. Right now, late-season Garden […]
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A Late August Flyby . . .
August, Above the Connecticut River, Michaela Harlow, 2014 It’s Labor Day Weekend, and it’s been a long time since my last post. I’ve needed a vacation, it seems, and the time away has been good. Everyone needs a change of scene, and a different perspective, now and again. I’ve been flying, and painting, and kayaking […]
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Reflecting on the Still of the Garden & Seasonal Water Feature Care
A Water Feature Needn’t be Large or Expensive to Add a Calm, Soothing, Reflective Element to the Garden On these hot, humid summer days, my thoughts drift to quiet lakes or the sea. I often think that the only thing missing in my landscape, is a pond. Unfortunately, digging one won’t be in my budget […]
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All of My Summer Days . . .
Misty July Sunrise in the Wildflower Walk It’s a warm, humid, summer morning. Baskets filled with garden cuttings and wayward weeds line the wildflower walk. Time to stop for a cool drink and some journaling. I confess to a bit of restlessness this week. My mind keeps wandering to quiet waters; kayak slipping into mist. […]
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Slipping Softly into July
The Softness of Summer Sunrise Suddenly, it’s July . . . And the days are long, hot, hazy and languid. The pace of a gardener’s life shifts. Days of dividing, planting and pruning have passed by for now. Mowing, weeding and deadheading are chores reserved for the early morning hours. Late afternoons are reserved for […]
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Peony Greed and Other Confessions
Favorite, Old-Fashioned Girls: Duchess de Nemours and Sarah Bernhardt, Fresh from the Garden Friends and clients often inquire about peony supports. “Hoops, stakes or something else?”, they ask. The rain, the wind, the weight; it all brings up the flopping fears. I nod sympathetically. “Try something natural”, I usually say, “Something like twigs, twine, branches”. […]
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Welcome Summer Solstice
Welcome Sweet, Sweet Summertime! Happy Solstice and Welcome Summer! I’m taking a sabbatical from garden design and installation work this summer —putting focus back on my primary career as painter and beginning work on a little side project— so it’s been an especially busy spring for me. With a late, wet start to the season, trying to tie […]
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In the Blink of an Eye . . .
In my client’s garden this morning: Salvia nemerosa ‘May Night’ and an endless sea of peonies Creating beautiful, sustainable gardens takes careful planning, time, patience and effort. As a garden designer, one of my greatest professional rewards is returning to my clients’ gardens year after year, to delight in both the growth of the landscape […]
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Sweet, Sweet June . . .
Cornus kousa in Morning Light Opening my datebook this morning, I could hardly believe my eyes  . . . Can it be June 5th, already? Yet when I look around the garden, there’s no denying it: springtime is waning. The daffodils have come and gone and the lily-of-the-valley is slowly fading. Peonies are swollen-to-bursting and […]
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Upon a May Night . . .
 An Evening Stroll to the Secret Garden, through a Carpet of Wild, Blue Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata) Awake before the dawn this morning —listening to the forest come alive with the songs of hermit thrush and the yelps of young fox— my mind drifted back to yesterday evening, and a few stolen hours in the […]
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Seeking Perfection in Imperfection
 Fothergilla major ‘Mt. Airy’ in the garden at last light Over the years, my garden is becoming more and more like an old friend. With time, we come to love our friends less for their style and more for their substance. Tiny flaws and quirky habits become treasured character traits. When long parted, we miss […]
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Gardening Tip of the Week & Welcome, Merry Month of May . . .
Warm, Golden-Hued Narcissus & A Merry Welcome to May Although the air is still a bit chilly, and the sky so stubbornly grey, it’s time for May merriment and a happy Cinco de Mayo anyway! Welcome, welcome, sweet May! Garden tip of the week: make photo notes of your garden beds and place discreet popsicle sticks […]
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Springtime Reflections . . .
Dawn Viburnum Blossoms (Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’) Reflected in the Secret Garden Water Bowl With a fire in the wood stove and a chance of snow in the forecast, it feels far more like early March than late April today. Still, the peepers sing on and ruddy maples scatter blossoms to the forest floor. It’s […]
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Daffodil Days . . .
Garden Clean-Up Rewards: Baskets of Fresh-Cut Narcissus Finally, despite prolonged, unseasonably cold weather, the early daffodils have begun to unfold their golden petals. Narcissus ‘February (<—?) Gold’, ‘Lemon Silk’, ‘Ice Follies’, ‘Rip van Winkle’ and ‘Rijnveld’s Early (<—?) Sensation’ are in full bloom now and so many more about to burst into flower. Â With Planting […]
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How to Dress Up a Perennial Garden? Put a Clean, Fresh Edge on It . . .
Cleanly cutting the edge of a border with a half-moon edger, and mulching the “V”, helps with maintenance throughout the growing year {Pictured: a freshly planted & mulched garden with English-style edging. Pretty vessel is by Vermont artist, Stephen Procter} Having recently presented a gardening seminar on mixed border maintenance, now seems like a good […]
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Wake Up, Sleepy Gardens . . .
A Freshly Filled Water Bowl Returns to Its Place Beside the Secret Garden Door Happy spring holidays, gardening friends! With landscape design season back in full swing —and many projects and drawings on the drafting table— it’s a working weekend for me. But I did manage to slip outside this afternoon to cut back and […]
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Pink Moonrise & Twilight Peeper Song: Oh Spring, You Give Me Fever . . .
 April’s Pink Moon will be Full on Tuesday the 15th at 3;42am ET. But at 98%, the Waxing Gibbous Beauty Looked Full to the Naked Eye as She Rose Between the Ghostly Paper Birch on My Southern Vermont Hilltop Last Night I have been a bit under-the-weather this past week, with a health issue draining […]
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Embracing April’s Coquettish Charm . . .
 Welcoming April’s Warmer Days & Sweet, Warm, Golden Light (Hamamelis Vernalis in My Garden Last April) Hello April, you little flirt. Seems you have put aside the foolishness for now and you’re greeting us with warmth and sunshine. Yes, this week it’s all charm, charm, charm —and oh how we love you for it. Oh, […]
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New for Spring: Gardening Seminars Sponsored by Walker Farm in Vermont
Springtime, Garden Dreaming: Garden Design by Michaela Harlow, Stonework by Dan Snow It’s been a maddeningly cold and dreary late March here in New England, and like many green-thumbs, I am beginning to feel more than a touch of cabin fever. I want to get out and get going in my garden! But with wintry […]
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Planning, Scheming & Garden Dreaming: While We Wait for the Thaw . . .
Calla Lilies Blush on the First Morning of Spring Spring may have officially arrived, but Winter isn’t giving up so quickly. Snow squalls wrapped my hilltop in a swirling, downy-white blanket this morning and wind whipped my clanking compost bin down the walk. Oh White Witch, won’t you loosen your chilly grip and leave us […]
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Welcoming Spring!
Anticipating the Spicy-Sweet Fragrance of My Favorite Springtime Blossom: Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ Welcome Spring! The Vernal Equinox —day and night of equal length— occurs at 12:57 pm EDT today, March 20th, signaling the official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. And although my Secret Garden is coated in yet another fresh layer of […]
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