Winter Garden

Winter Interest in the Garden  

When I first started gardening years ago, I thought gardening was only for Spring and Summer. I believe that was the first time in my life, I openly admitted I was wrong. I almost thought I wasn't going to be able to write this article due to our abnormally warm and snow-less Winter.

I was wrong. Again.  

Winter for me is Do It Yourself season. I try to get any inside updates done because I am already trapped here because of the weather. I try to make the best of it. Another thing that I have done since moving up here to yankee territory, is rectify my view for all 4 seasons. There is nothing sadder then looking at dead grass and it's 5 degrees with no snow on the ground. For months.

I think it was my 2nd winter in our home that I looked out the window and literally said hell no. I need a better view. Picking up the house and moving to a new locale was my first idea. Later on, a more cost effective idea came to mind. Adding evergreens and conifers where I could, so during these bitterly cold snow covered months, I would have something to look at.

Imagine my shock when I found out how most evergreens are actually more disease resistant then a lot of perennials. I am still a novice (in my opinion) gardener. Simply because a lot of the gardeners I come in contact with look at a plant and exclaim "Oh that's a genus spursa hyper obtusa" and I have to give them a look that says I knew that. Which is a big fat blonde bold faced lie.

I am on edge today as I am writing this. Simply because this afternoon into tomorrow we are going to get temperatures that range from 20 below to 50 below and I am worried about some of my favorites. They are zone 5 and those temps can easily kill a human let alone a Weeping Atlas Cedar. 

I am going to go to home depot and buy some 12' rebar stakes and some moving blankets to make a tee pee and wrap it to give it a fighting chance. 50 below temps just say kill kill kill to me and I don't want to lose these babies!

Back to discussing winter interest; I also try adding hardscapes like metal sculpture or concrete ones for interest as well. I think everything looks beautiful covered in snow or ice, especially trees, or yard art.

Just an FYI, I snapped these pics with my cell phone. I am surprised I was able to snap the snowflakes. I am no professional photographer but my cell phone does better then my camera.

This beauty below is one I bought about 8 years ago at a flea market for twenty bucks. Every winter is yellows and every year I go into shock thinking it's dead.

Then I remember it does this every winter. It didn't come with a tag and I forget the name but the birds love it and any bird house I put near this specimen they flock too.

I may need to find another one!

My skyrocket junipers are doing great. I cannot wait for them to get over 5 feet and really start to show off their color.

Happy snow day!