Recent Posts
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
Late November’s Smoldering Hues: Radiant Rust, Shimmering Copper, Burnished Bronze & Winter Blonde
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 […]
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Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Birds in the Garden, Water Gardens, Wildflowers and Meadows, Wildlife, Winter
Attracting, Supporting & Observing Wildlife in the Late Autumn Landscape
Wild Turkey Wander in My Country Neighbor’s Meadow, Beyond the Roadside Saplings. Wild Turkey are Omnivores, Feeding on Fern Fronds, Buds, Seed, Fruit, Berries, Insects, Grubs and Amphibians. Turkey are Often Spotted in Open Fields, Pastures, Wetlands and Orchards by Day. By Night, Turkey Seek the Cover of Mixed Forest, Where They Roost in Trees. […]
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Aerial Photography, Autumn, Aviation, Orchards / Orchard Keeping
A Glimpse of Autumn Orchard Beauty: Clarkdale Fruit Farm, from Above . . .
Autumn Orchard Beauty: 1,200′ Above Clarkdale Fruit Farm in Deerfield, Massachusetts Is there anything more delightful than the colors and flavors of an autumn orchard? Looking down at the Clarkdale Fruit Farm orchards from 1,200′ AGL, it’s impossible not to dream of strolling with friends; enjoying a cup of cold, sweet, fresh-pressed cider, amid the beautiful […]
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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 Hauntingly Beautiful All Hallow’s Eve: Darkness Falls Across the Land . . .
Darkness Falls Across the Land, the Midnight Hour is Close at Hand … Happy Halloween ! 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 […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Witch Alder
Farewell to Late October’s Splendor . . . A Quiet Calm Before the Storm
Leaves Catch Fire on the Blue Green Dragon and Fall to the Secret Garden, Below… Here, in the Cool, Quiet Between Walls of Stone, The Dragon’s Flames Dance Upon Inky, Dark Water Late-Blooming Ladybells (Adenophora confusa) Defy October’s Frosty Nights and Whisper Softly in the Mist Some years, Autumn’s radiant colors linger till late November […]
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Autumn Garden Chores, Autumn Garden Design, DIY Garden Design, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Perennial Garden Design, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Plant hunting
Beauty by Design: New Gardeners Plant A Welcoming, Four Season Entryway …
Mary Kay & Greg’s Entryway Garden, One Year After Planting. Garden Design: Michaela M. Harlow Season-Spanning Color Lights Up the Stone Entry Steps & Landing. Stonework: Alec Goldschmid. Garden Design: Michaela M. Harlow With Properly Prepared, Edged & Mulched Planting Beds —Provided Here by Turner & Renaud— As Well as Diligent Weeding and Adequate Watering […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden
Sunlit Saffron, Rose & Brilliant Bronze: Fleeting Moments of Garden Beauty…
A Moment’s Reflection and I’m Off to Work, Through the Secret Garden Door My garden misses me, and I miss my garden. Autumn days are growing shorter, and with so many projects to finish before the ground freezes, I only have time to catch a glimpse of her sunlit beauty on the way to and […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Chores, Autumn Garden Design, Garden Maintenance
The Perennial Maintenance Question: When Should I Cut Back the Garden?
Rainy-Day, Autumn Maintenance in My Wildflower Walk: Cutting Back Withered Perennials & Removing Weeds Ah, October. One minute it’s freezing cold and you’re pulling on the wooly socks, and the next you’re stripping to your t-shirt and slathering on the sunscreen. I wonder… Do gardeners in other regions talk about the weather as much as […]
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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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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
In Late September’s Low Sunlight, Autumn Dons Her Golden Crown . . .
The Garden’s Golden Hour: Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens & Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’ Sunset to twilight: a favorite window of time for a slow garden stroll. Quick, grab a sweater to throw off the chill, and a camera to capture the beauty. Early autumn and the golden hour —a garden drenched in honey-hued light— sweet moments […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Autumnal Equinox
“Autumn Is A Second Spring, When Every Leaf Is A Flower” – Camus
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 […]
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Bulb companions, Bulbs, Color in the Garden, companion planting, Early spring flowering plants, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, Ferns
The Seasons are Changing & It’s Time to Begin Burying Our Bulb Treasures …
A Tisket, A Tasket, A Basket Full of Narcissus . . . Anticipation. True gardeners really know how to revel in the wait. We are, essentially, pleasure-delayers. Gardening differs from many modern-day activities in one significant way: it is not an instant gratification activity. Not at all. Gardeners do a lot of waiting, watching and […]
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Aviation, Corn Mazes, Massachusetts, Mazes and Labyrinths, New England
It’s an Amazing Time of Year . . .
Mike’s Maze – Sunderland, Massachusetts (click image to enlarge) Out for a short, early evening flight around the Pioneer Valley the other day, I happened to spot Mike’s Maze in nearby Sunderland, Massachusetts, reminding me that it’s time to get out and enjoy this harvest season activity. If you’re a long-time follower of this blog, you may […]
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Autumn, Autumn Color in the Garden, Autumn Garden Design, Berries, Bird Friendly Gardens, Birds, Birds in the Garden
Swing Season: Falling for September’s Slow, Sultry Color Shift . . .
Bits of Early Color: Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum ‘Shasta’ and Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens Glow Like Stained Glass in the Last Rays of Low Sunlight The last days of summer: golden light, cricket chorus, scampering squirrels and vibrant colors. It seems Mother Nature —ready to rest from a long growing season— has decided to stretch out […]
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Garden Design, Garden Design Photos
Beyond the Rain-Streaked Windows . . .
A Blurry Vision of Late-Blooming Perennials Beyond My Windows Rainy days always remind me of how important it is to consider what a garden design will look from inside, as well as from outside of a house. I love feeling like I am part of the natural world, even when I have to be indoors. When […]
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Freezing, Freezing Produce, Preserving
Heirlooms on Ice: Preserve the Harvest By Freezing Fresh, Whole Tomatoes …
Frozen Heirloom Tomatoes: German Pink, Brandywine, Orange Blossom, Green Zebra & Russian Black Is it me, or has summer flown by a little too quickly this year? Hard to believe that Labor Day has come and gone, and there are only 2 1/2 more weeks of summer remaining. It’s been a busy season. This is […]
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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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Blue Moon, Farmer's Almanac, Full Moon, Moon
Once in a Blue Moon …
August’s Blue Moon —99% Full Last Night— Rises in the Dusty-Violet Twilight This month’s Blue Moon —also the last full moon of summer— will rise tonight at 7:08pm ET. Be sure to catch it, or you’ll have to wait almost three years to see another one! The next time two full moons will occur in […]
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Garden Art, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Paths, Garden Rooms, Paths and Walkways, Stone Walkways, stonework
Endless Summer: A Garden Designed for Season-Spanning Beauty & Interest . . .
Late August in Susan & Bob’s Front Entryway Garden. Geranium ‘Rozanne’ Mass Planted for a Beautiful, Long-Blooming Lavender-Blue-Haze. A Background of Coreopsis, Heuchera micrantha, Echinacea purpurea, Eupatorium maculatum, E. rugosum & Thalictrum, Round Out the Late-Summer Color-Scheme. Ceramic Vessel: Stephen Procter. Endless summer. Yes, I realize the phrase might seem a bit odd for a […]
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