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Silverbells Upon a Moonlit, May Night: Planning an Enticing Evening Garden . . .
 Silverbells Swing in May Moonlight (explore Halesia tetraptera here) “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.† William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream After the Sun slips below the horizon, tossing her golden farewell to the tree […]
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Upon a May Night: Fire and Ice Follies
 Fire & Ice Follies Upon a May Night: Enjoying Narcicissus ‘Ice Follies’ & Dan Snow’s Fire Sculpture After a Day of Work in the Garden Now that spring has finally sprung, I find myself caught in a familiar pattern of  Maytime, garden design madness. There’s so much I want to see, and so very much […]
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May Merriment . . .
Pulmonaria longifolia ‘Raspberry Splash’ Greets the First Day of May Welcome beautiful, light-hearted, May. Named for the Greek goddess Maia, this is the month of springtime flowers. Fragrance, color, warmth and soft light; it seems each and every morning, when I step into the garden, something new awaits. It’s time for May merriment, and a […]
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Of Wildflowers & Ephemeral Beauty . . .
 North American Native, Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot) Is there anything lovelier than the unexpected surprise of wildflowers, scattered along a woodland path? My heart leaps like a little child at the sight of nodding Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum), and snow-white Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), poking up like a miracle from bare ground. The fleeting nature of Spring’s […]
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Kitchen Garden Planning, Part Two: Companion Planting, Design & Layout
 In the Company of Friends: My Potager is Planned for Companionship! Fresh air, sunshine, a cool drink and a warm, cozy spot in the garden, surrounded by friends; I can’t imagine a better way to spend my summer days. Turns out, plants feel much the same way we do. Like humans, plants tend to grow, […]
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Kitchen Garden Planning, Part One: Designing a Pretty & Productive Potager
 I like to design kitchen gardens with both beauty & bounty in mind. Why does beauty matter in a vegetable garden? I’ve noticed that the prettier the garden, the more time I want to spend in it. Usually, the more time you spend in your potager, the more time you spend on your plants and […]
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Celebrating the Joy of Springtime . . .
 Rebirth & Renewal: A Tiny Nest Amongst Hemlock Boughs Wishing You Joy During this Season of Celebration. Happy Easter, Happy Passover and Happy Spring! Photography and Text â“’ 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 […]
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A Return to Costa Rica’s Pura Vida: Field Notes from a Tropical Paradise . . .
Color-Saturated Beauty: Costa Rica from Above Descending Over Fields and Farmland Northwest of San Jose, Costa Rica There’s talk of a snowstorm to greet the first day of spring back home in New England. Cruel, and yet, it seems so far away, now that I’ve shed my snowshoes and winter wool in favor of flip […]
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January Twilight . . .
Wolf Moon Rise in the Twilight Mist of Condensation-Coated Glass Is this really the last week of January? Impossible! The weeks have flown by with several exciting garden designs on my drafting table and daily painting sessions in my studio. It’s been a busy month, and I’ve been away from my computer. Good to take […]
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Wishing You A Very Happy New Year!
Here’s to a Fantastic 2013! Photography and Text â“’ 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 […]
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Song of the Solstice . . .
Lighting the Longest Night And Welcoming Winter’s Soft Beauty … Crystal-Crusted Maiden Grass Sunspots and Snow-Blasted Birch Ice-Laced Viburnum Branches … Stonework: Dan Snow Garden Design & Installation: Michaela Medina Harlow Photography and Text â“’ Michaela Medina/The Gardener’s Eden. All images, articles and content on this site (with noted exceptions), are the original, copyrighted property […]
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Welcoming November . . .
Maiden Grass Dances in Morning Light Welcome November. A month of giving thanks. This year, certainly grateful to be spared the full wrath of Tropical Storm Sandy on October 29-30th. Although there were downed trees, closed roads, washouts and power outages here in the southern Green Mountains, we were fortunate this time. This was no […]
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A Slow Dance with Oboe and Cello: Celebrating the Beauty of October …
Raydon’s Favorite Aster (Aster oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’) Shines Against Grey Skies and a Backdrop of Amsonia (A. illustris), Flame Grass (Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens) and Golden Birch Leaves (Betula papyrifera) Come blue skies, drizzle, fog or pouring rain; October will always be my favorite month. From start to finish, the colors of the season rise to […]
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The Harvest Moon, Obscured . . .
Moonrise Through Queen Anne’s Lace A rainy, nebulous sky will likely obscure the full, Harvest Moon for those of us in New England tonight. But with the lengthening hours of dusk, I’ve found opportunity to enjoy our luminous, celestial neighbor in various phases and places this month. Hello Luna. Is that you wearing Queen Anne’s […]
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Welcome September …
Last Sunset of August Through the Tassels of Flame Grass (Miscanthus purpurascens) Welcome September! With twenty one days remaining before the autumnal equinox, this is still a mostly-summer month. And yet, there’s no denying that the light is getting lower and the days are getting shorter. Twilight arrives earlier in the evening these days; skies […]
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Back in the Limelight Again …
The Dew-Kissed Blossoms of Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ Sparkle in My Garden at Dawn A Lightly Fragrant, Fresh-Cut Beauty for the Late Summer Vase, Limelight Hydrangea Blossoms also Dry Beautifully  (Perfect for Autumn Arrangements & Winter Wreaths) By October, Limelight has Morphed from Pale Pistachio to Strawberries and Crean and on to Honey-Drizzled Cherry Hues. Come […]
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Notes from the Mid-Summer Potager & A Home Remedy for Powdery Mildew …
The Verdant Hues of My Mid-Summer Potager Midsummer is a wonderful time in the vegetable garden. Daily harvests of squash, zucchini, beans, tomatoes, salad greens, herbs & fruit keep my pantry & kitchen well stocked with fresh ingredients for home-cooked meals. But the dog days can be tough on gardens, and gardeners as well. Scorching […]
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Welcome Home! Johnson’s Garden: Revisiting a Renovation, One Year Later
A Welcoming Garden of Color: A Hedge of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine is Fronted by Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Perovskia antriplicifolia, Rudbeckia  fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ and Sedum telephium ‘Munstead Red’, Among Other Plantings Facing the Residential Street After taking an early morning stroll through a garden I designed and installed last summer, I decided the visit […]
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Light & Shadow: Sunset Color Play …
The Colors of a Summer Sunset (Clockwise from Bottom Left: Rudbeckia hirta, Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia ‘Palace Purple’, Cotinus coggygria, Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’, Fagus sylvatica ‘Riversii’, Chelone lyonii, Filipendula ulmaria ‘Variegata’, Hakonechloa macra ‘Beni Kaze’) Pale yellow, brilliant gold, violet-maroon, mauve, blue-shadow and thunder-cloud grey; the colors of a summer sunset. Stormy skies —filled with […]
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Chill Out: Refreshing Soup & Salad Days
Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Glaze Dressing – Click Here for Recipe Post Ninety Five Degrees! That’s hot for anywhere, but it’s particularly hot for Vermont. We don’t see many 90+ days here in the Green Mountains. Yes, it looks like this will definitely be a long, hot summer. And […]
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Summer Hide Away: A Shady Nook & Dreamy Gardening Books …
Hosta Leaves in Soothing Shades of  Blue-Green and Lime Cool Things Down on a Hot Summer Day. I Love Creating Shady Vignettes Outside of Entryways. This Grouping of Shady Ladies on the North Side of My Studio Includes: Aruncus dioicus, Hosta ‘Sum & Substance’ and in the foreground, Hosta ‘Blue Ice’ A gentle rain fell here […]
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