We’re visiting with Carla Z. Mudry in Malvern, Pennsylvania, looking back at her garden in January when it was transformed by snow.

The winter garden has its own glory. More structural in nature but a nice fluffy snow will make it soften into a Currier & Ives scene. The winter garden is not only beautiful but allows you to see clearly what you might wish to trim, prune, add, or even move!

Appreciate the magic of the winter season in your garden.

Garden sculptures take on a whole new look in the snow.

The structure of trees, especially evergreens, is so apparent with snow accenting each and every branch.

Winter is the time for this huge holly (Ilex opaca, Zones 5–9) to shine.

The snow-covered holly, with its dark green leaves and red berries, looks all the better for the contrast with the snow.

Berries look so great in the snow. And besides being beautiful, they help provide food for the birds to get them through the cold months. Some berries don’t get softened and ripe enough for birds to eat until after freezing weather, effectively saving them for when food is needed the most.

Faded hydrangea flowers with snow

Carla’s owl sculpture, carved from the stump of a tree, looks beautiful every day of the year but is especially magical in the snow.

One thing that makes getting through the winter as a gardener easier—a greenhouse!

Art in the garden is essential in the winter months.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach.

Buy at Amazon

The Regenerative Landscaper: Design and Build Landscapes That Repair the Environment

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

2024 Nautilus Award Gold Medal Winner! This awe-inspiring guide weaves together permaculture design, food resiliency, climate adaptation, community organizing, and indigenous wisdom that you can implement in your own backyard.

Buy at Amazon