I don’t find brown, lifeless plants particularly interesting. Many don’t have any notable form or shape. They’re just dead things sticking up with maybe some seeds or pods at the top. Not so interesting. Let the birds take the seeds, and what’s left? Sure, some may have a bit of left-over color. But still not worth a second look. Admittedly this is a glass-half-empty point of view.
Now, if there’s snow on the plants, that’s a totally different story. Pure magic! I think even Elizabeth would admit that the blizzard that recently hit Buffalo had a certain panache. Quite a few of us living in the northern tier of states admit to a hankering for some snow cover, despite the problems it sometimes presents. Well, maybe just a bit of it – what we refer to as a “pretty snow.” (Probably a foreign concept to those of you in the warmer climes.) The last several years in our area have been notable for very few really heavy snows. We snowshoeing devotees generally like to have at least six inches of snow on the ground for good shoeing, but there has been precious little of that recently. It may be a symptom of global warming. Buffalo-style blizzards are way too much, but bare ground, gray skies and brown vegetation aren’t welcome either. Are several pretty snows too much to ask for?
I maintain that dead and dormant plants covered with snow are much prettier than dead and dormant plants in bare ground. Winter calls for at least a dusting of snow to add “winter interest.” But Mother Nature gives us different sorts of beauty when and how she will.
Like any other gardener, I look forward to spring. The first blush of spring is an adventure waiting to happen – to discover what’s coming up. The change of seasons is nice; spring may be my favorite though. Many of us become shell-shocked with snow by the time winter winds down. And the effects linger. A few years ago, a friend offered me some perennial plants from her garden that sported white flowers. I politely declined the offer saying I already had enough white flowers. I was really saying that I had had enough white stuff.
That’s winter for you.
Indeed. Absolutely. Spot on. <— NW Ohio checking in.
Colorado here…. I’m even sick of the “pretty” snow!
Yes you are so right. Everything looks better with a dusting of pristine white snow or a heavy hoar frost. I actually quite like parts of my garden in winter. There are plants with interesting seed heads, lots of interesting dwarf conifers and my favourite grass Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ which stands tall no matter what the weather throws at it. However, I like the garden mostly at this time of year as the weeds are nicely hidden.
We usually have two or three “pretty snows” in Louisville (Kentucky) which provide a much welcome respite from the grey days of winter!
Move to central California. My Winter garden is quite alive. It might still be in the 30s right now (mid-morning), but yesterday afternoon I watched a rout of ladybugs devour the aphids on my sacrificial broccoli, then I picked broccoli from another plant for dinner. The chard is charming, the cauliflower is expanding, the peas are glorious. The variety citrus fruit available is a little overwhelming even as the the trees flower for next year’s crop. And bulbs are blooming as well as a few hardy perennials like blanket flower, Santa Barbara daisy, and osteospermum.
You make me jealous! But I wouldn’t like the cost of living in California.
My winter garden is certainly sad right now! No pretty snow, just frosty devastation: http://oldherbaceous.com/2023/01/23/how-it-started-how-its-going/.
Ice storm in Texas right now. Not feeling the love for winter gardens right now either! Keep warm and hope for spring.
Hope you didn’t lose power, Jenny.
How I’d like to see a little snow here – nothing!
Virginia near Leesburg
Well, my winter MOSS garden is splendid. Why endure a dull, dormant gardenscape in the winter, even if it looks better with snow accents? Since mosses are immune to any negative effects of cold weather, they provide year-round green appeal throughout all months in all US Hardiness Zones. Once snow melts, the mosses are still brilliant green, sometimes displaying sporophytes — the equivalent of flowers on vascular plants (Yes, moss sex even happens under a snow blanket!). No winter gardening doldrums for me just an impressive and enticing GREEN landscape! — Mossin’ Annie in the mountains of western North Carolina
I hear you Jack,
One thing you can do is add winter interest by adding stone to your garden. “Stones are the bones of a garden” someone once said. We added tons of salvaged stone, a steeple, benches, edging, steps, carved details. I figured out that demo companies have to pay to dispose and if you see a great old building coming down you can stand between them and the dump and pay them to dump in your yard.
Getting it in place is another issue, I was younger then.
I do have a lot of stones salvaged from construction sites, but right now they’re covered in snow. …So are the benches.
Don’t blame you for not liking winter up north!
Too cold, too dark, too long. Don’t miss it. Or the grey salted vehicles.
Our broad leaf evergreens have recovered from Christmas’s 14°. Yes, above zero.
Pretty cold for south east Virginia.
Snow crocus and hellebores are beginning to bloom now. Evergreen ground covers in the beds take the focus off of the tan warm season lawn.
The sago palm is sad and tan again. Too cold for too long. It will be August or September before it flushes with large new fronds.
But the windmill palms take it in stride.
All of the other “house plants hardy here” look pretty good again.
2 types of fatsia japonica, variegated cast iron plants (aspidistra), 2 jasmines, acuba’s, camellias, heuchera, gardenias and encore azaleas are happy again, lorapetalum has buds, evergreen ferns are happier again.
About the only deciduous ornamentals I won’t live without are the tall shade trees, the various hydrangeas and various dogwoods and hardy bananas and hardy gingers. And the spring woodland ephemerals.
Lol, the reason I don’t want to live somewhere even warmer.
Every 10 years or so we get 10″ of snow. You can watch everyone hunker down for an entire week.
Come visit for a winter break.
If you come during most winter weeks it will be in the low 50’s and sunny.
Might like that kind of winter!
Not sure I go along with this, snow or no. https://gardenrant.com/2021/02/winter-colour-in-the-garden.html
Guess a lot depends on where you live. I expected opinions would differ.
We’ve just had an extremely pretty snow here in the Columbia River Gorge! This is what made it so “pretty”:
— Enough snow to cover all the ugly stuff and coat vines, branches and other interesting shapes
— Not enough snow as to make it difficult to get around (about 3”)
— It was followed by brilliant sunshine, to make everything all sparkly and lift our spirits, but stayed cold enough to not turn to mush right away
That sounds like a candidate for the “perfect snow”!
I have to disagree. The “bones” of the garden reflect structure. A mix of evergreens helps soften the dormant landscape. I still get some birds munching seed heads. Here in New York, I wish we would get snow. The see-saw temps are forcing buds open, and the 2 degree weather tonight will kill them off.
As a native Southerner, now in Cincinnati, I need broadleaf evergreens, but the recent polar vortex savaged mine. With pruning, boxwoods and sky pencil hollies and likely the mahonia will come back. The hollies and nandinas may releaf. But my much-loved and carefully nurtured cherry laurels are crisped, and I’ll be heartbroken if they don’t come back. I miss the land of camellias. (And a shoutout to Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, NC)
I’ve never understood why people plant snowdrops. The last thing I want to see in early spring is more white stuff covering the ground. I guess the Brits don’t get enough snow to get sick of it?