Recent Posts
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Color in the Garden, companion planting, Ferncliff, Ferns, Foliage, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, Late Autumn Garden, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for Autumn, Perennials for summer, Perennials for Winter Interest, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Shade Gardening, Woodland plants
Restful Rodgersia: A Tall, Dramatic Beauty for Secret, Shadowy Nooks and Damp, Dappled Shade…
Rodgersia aesculifolia in the Secret Garden with Matteuccia struthiopteris and Heuchera – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE Although you will usually find Rodgersia hiding out in dappled corners, boggy nooks and shadowy glens, it’s not because she’s exactly shy. In fact, when you stop to consider her dramatic foliage and statuesque size, Rodgersia is really […]
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Celebrations, Cocktails, Home, Recipes, Summer Solstice, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
Welcome Summer! Greeting the Solstice: Sweet Memories, Beautiful Dreams, Stylish Cocktails and Festive Sparkles…
Sunset Mangotini – The Perfect Drink for the Longest Day of the Year… Â Photograph â“’ Michaela at TGE Solstice memories. It was the longest day of the year -and I was eight years old- when I snuck out on a stylin’ new, metallic-orange bicycle for my first unauthorized ride. Off, down the long bumpy driveway […]
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Celebrations, Garden Maintenance, garden tools, Gifts for Gardeners, Lawns, Paths and Walkways, Reel-Style Lawn Mowers
Father’s Day Post Leads to Old Fashioned Push Mower Shopping… Thanks Dad! Happy Father’s Day!
Detail from a Schlitz beer ad, circa 1950 It all started innocently enough. This morning I wanted to publish a quick ‘Happy Father’s Day’ post for all the dads out there. My dad has always been a fabulous gardener, expert berry grower and lover of native plants and trees… But he hated mowing the lawn. […]
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Cookbooks, Cooking, Garlic, Plant Spotlight, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Quickie Dinner? Fresh from the Garden? Penne with Oven-Roasted Broccoli…
Penne with Oven-Roasted Broccoli – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I have been stalking the broccoli in my garden for more than two weeks. The weather in New England at this time of year is prone to wild mood swings -one minute it’s hot and humid […]
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Gourmet Garden, organic gardening, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
From Verdant Shades to Violet Hues: The Potager is Beginning to Look Beautiful, Bountiful and Very, Very Veggie…
Beautiful Broccoli © 2010 Michaela at TGE… Every morning now, when I stroll through the vegetable garden on my early rounds -coffee in hand and pets in tow- I am astonished by how much the summer crops have grown in just one short month since planting. And no matter how groggy, or harried, or pressured […]
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Butterflies and Moths, Color in the Garden, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Paths, Gardening without Lawn, Hardy shrubs, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Plant Spotlight, Summer flowering shrubs, Woody Plants
Isn’t She Pretty in Pink? A Peek at a Few of June’s Blushing Young Beauties: Mountain Laurel, Lupine, Indigofera, and More…
Kalmia latifolia ‘Pink Charm’ with Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland’s Gold’ and Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summer Wine’ in the background, and Rudbeckia hirta and Miscanthus in the foreground… Garden Design and Photo © Michaela at TGE Kalmia latifolia ‘Pink Charm’ – Photo © Michaela at TGE Kalmia latifolia ‘Pink Charm’ in the Entry Garden – Design and Photo […]
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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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Berries, Books, Children and Gardening, Cooking, Fruit for home gardens, Fun in the Garden, Garden projects for kids, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Perennial Close-Ups, Recipes, strawberries, The Seasons, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
The Strawberry Shortcake Facial – A (Mostly-True) Country Girl Story, Where Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest Meet Fruit Mush. Plus, a Really Great Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake. I Swear…
Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Butter Biscuits… I grew up in a strawberry patch. Yes, I mean that literally. My family grew and sold organic berries, and when I was a kid, my sister and I spent many hours in the strawberry fields picking and tending the crops. Once you’re a grownup, this sounds pretty idyllic. […]
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annuals, Artful Garden Objects, Container Gardening, Exotic Plants, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Ground Covers, House Plants, Indoor Gardening, ornamental grass, Ornamental Grass in Containers, Plant Spotlight, Pots, Pots and Pottery, Purple and Maroon Foliage, scree gardens, Succulents, Succulents in Containers
Un-Flower Pots: Modern Ideas for Low Maintenance Container Gardens…
Sempervivum ‘Purple Beauty’ (Hens and Chicks) and Haworthia in a Glazed Pot with River Stone Accents, Design and Photograph © Michaela at TGE Although I have an unabashed love of colorful, fragrant blossoms, flowering plants aren’t ideal in all garden situations and circumstances. At times, I reach for the color, texture, form and/or movement of […]
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Garden Paths, Public Gardens, Stone Walkways, stonework, Walkways - Stone
Setting the Pace of the Stroll with Stepping Stone Paths and Walkways…
Stepping stone path designed and installed by artist Dan Snow, in a garden of my own design at Ferncliff. Photo © Michaela at TGE We’ve all heard that the beauty and meaning of life is usually found in the journey, not in the destination. I’m a great believer in this way of looking at things, […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Hardy shrubs, shrubs, Summer flowering shrubs, Weigela, Woody Plants
Seduced by the Charms of Old Fashioned Flowering Weigela…
Weigela florida ‘Red Prince’ tumbles over the wall at Ferncliff, spilling blossoms into the Secret Garden below. Stonework by Vermont artist Dan Snow… To look at the voluminous cascade of crimson blossoms spilling over my Secret Garden wall this week, you’d never guess that this Red Prince (Weigela florida)Â is positioned in the toughest, most exposed […]
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Art Inspired by Nature, Artful Garden Objects, Cutting Garden, Fragrance, Fresh Cut Flowers, Gifts for Gardeners, Indoor Table Arrangements, Vases
Bringing Nature’s Beauty Indoors: Clustered Vases Beside the Laptop…
Clustered vases filled with Lupine, Phlox, Valerian, and Rosa de Rescht. Photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE Whew. It has been busy around here. Most days I am out and about in the field working with clients, gathering plants, making deliveries, planting gardens, and lately, helping out my friends at Walker Farm on the weekends […]
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companion planting, Garden Maintenance, Garden Science, organic gardening, Plant Propagation, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Seeds, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager, Weeds and Weeding
I Know They Are In There Somewhere! Companion Planting in the Vegetable Garden: Guest Post by John Miller of The Old School House Plantery…
Radishes and Carrots Together Again at the Market, (photo © Michaela TGE) “They”, in this instance, being carrots and parsnips. In my previous post I mentioned how farmers use plug sown onion transplants to overcome the problems associated with the slow germination time of onions. Onions are not the only vegetables that exhibit long germination […]
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Cutting Garden, Fragrance, Ground Covers, Plant Spotlight, Shrubs for fall color, Syringa vulgaris, Unusual Plants, Woody Plants
The Sweet, Seductive Power of Scent: Garden Fragrance…
Lily of the Valley, (Convallaria majalis), fills my bedroom with a fresh, green scent… “Smells  are  surer  than  sounds  and  sights  to  make  the  heartstrings  crack” ……………………………………………………………………- –………………………………………………………………………….rudyard kipling Imagine stepping outside and into the garden on a warm spring evening. Close your eyes and breathe deep. Does the air smell sweet? Are you drawn […]
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Asian Natives, Plant Propagation, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Rare Plants, Seed Kits, Shade Gardening, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager, Woodland plants
Gourmet Gardening: Springtime Adventures in Shiitake Growing…
Shiitake and spinach fresh from my garden Oh the delicious flavor of fresh shiitake mushrooms. I enjoy most fungi, but I have a particular fondness for the earthy, rich taste and firm texture of the shiitake mushroom. Early spring crops, such as snow peas, sprouts and bok choy combine wonderfully with shiitake in healthy stir […]
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Autumn Color in the Garden, flowering shrubs, Flowering Trees, Front Yard Gardens, Garden Design, Garden Design Photos, Garden Maintenance, Gardening without Lawn, Ground Covers, Native Plants, Perennial Garden Maintenance, Plants for sun, Plants for Texture, Replacing Lawn, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Woody Plants
Front Yard Gardens: A Peek at the Design Process…
Front Yard Garden Design Proposal – Early Autumn View – Drawing © 2010 Michaela at TGE Just look at this sweet little house! It’s easy to see why my clients Laura and Dan fell in love with this place, isn’t it? I was instantly charmed by this classic New England home. From the slate-covered hip […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Bulbs, Butterflies and Moths, Cutting Garden, Ferncliff, Fresh Cut Flowers, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Nature, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials for summer, Plant Spotlight, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Summer Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons
A Tall, Cool Drink for the Eyes: Quiet, Calm Camassia – Wild American Beauty of the Marshland and Meadow…
Camassia quamash, North American native Camas Lily, © 2010 Michaela at TGE A few years ago, at the low edge of my garden where open meadow meets slow transition to cultivated borders, I planted a handful of native camas lily bulbs, (Camassia quamash). The first spring after planting, an orphaned fawn wandered into my life, […]
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Cooking, Early Spring Garden Plants, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Hello Heavenly Spring Harvest! Pizza with Arugula and Fresh Asparagus…
Pizza from scratch with fresh asparagus, tomatoes and goat cheese… Although it’s been nearly a decade since my last visit to Italy, I used to travel to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast every summer. During that time, I fell in love with the simple peasant-style pizza, (no red sauce or gooey cheese), I found along […]
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organic gardening, Plant Propagation, Plant Science, Plant Spotlight, Seeds, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Growing Great Leeks and Onions the British Way: Guest Post by John Miller of the Old School House Plantery
Triple Planted Lincoln Leeks and Savoy Cabbage,(with Garden Fork for Scale) Triple Planted Onions It’s the middle of May in New England and winter seems to be finally releasing its grip on the climate! Late last week I was planting onions and leeks and I invited Michaela to stop by as I knew what a […]
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Insects/Entomology, Native Plants, Organic Insect Control, Plant Science, Plant Spotlight, Viburnum, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Native Plant Seminar Discussions: Viburnum Beetle Alert…
Healthy Viburnum trilobum foliage and flower buds Over the weekend, I presented a talk on native plants for ornamental landscape use to a fantastic group of New England gardeners, and some very good questions were raised about alien pests and diseases of North American native plants. One of the gardeners participating in the workshop mentioned […]
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Early Spring Garden Plants, Plant Propagation, Plant Science, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Love Me Two Times Baby: Extend Springtime Crops with Repeat Sowing in Timed Intervals – One for Tomorrow, and One Just for Today…
My Second Spinach Crop… Vegetable gardening tips from Jim Morrison? Well why not? When it comes to hedonistic behavior, I am all for taking his lusty advice in the garden: love me two times baby – one for tomorrow and one just for today! Actually, why not love over, and over, and over? After all, […]
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