Surprise! We're back in Terie Rawn's garden today. We saw fall yesterday, and there was no way we could leave you hanging, so….. Today Terie says, "As the winter months pass by those busy Holidays, we settle into a routine and often forget to look for winter's beauty. Shoveling, stoking wood stoves, plowing a long driveway, and layering hoodies and scarves can become a bit monotonous. I find it helpful to have a couple focal points to view from inside. The gardens are positioned for that very reason. Both summer and winter hold interest from just inside our windows. For me, second only to gardening is birding. We place feeders at gardens' edge to view the flurry of activity from our living room and kitchen windows. Many perennials are left standing to benefit their appetites. I find very little problem with the potential of nuisance reseeding. Our feathered friends have it under control."
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Come and meet up at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show this year!
I'm scheduled to give another GPOD talk (A few of you will be getting emails in the next two weeks as I put together the slideshow…), and a number of people have emailed to say that they'll be at the show, and that they'd love to meet up with a bunch of fellow GPODers!
The RSVPs so far:
Glenda Curdy (Nurserynotnordstrom)
Tia Scarce
Jeanne Cronce (Greengenes)
Sheila Schultz
Nora
Shirley Graves
Chris Niblack (ChrisSeattle)
Kielian DeWitt (Annek)
Linda Skyler (Meelianthus)
Kathy Schuler
So…who else is going to be there?? Let us all know in the comments, and we can start planning an outing! Perhaps after-dinner drinks one night at the bar at the Sheraton? I'll repeat this announcement for the next week or so, at least, and keep a running list of who's coming….enticement for even more people to come. Oh, and when you comment to say you'll be there, give us your real name so that I can plan name tags that include both that and your screen name…
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Comments
Thanks for another gorgeous storybook garden post Terie. I love some of the parallels between yesterday and today's views. As my garden evolves, I will strive to make it more of a four season garden like yours.
Good morning, It really does take my breath away in the moments that winter looks like this. A huge advantage was to build just inside the woods edge. So much of this vertical was here to begin with. So we only had two more layers. :) Year after year after year....
Hi David. Please read the caption on this link and kindly send me a private message on Facebook for more information. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=418648418321827&set=a.312121418974528.1073741828.100005300178733&type=1&theater Regards, Cherry (Perennially Crazy).
Wow wow wow how I enjoyed these photos,and yes a stroll and a cup of hot chocolate PLEASE. I went back and looked at all of your other submissions in the past and I love your gardens. Do you garden it by yourselves and are you retired? Looks like a rather large piece of property. Do you have a favorite plant you collect?it seems you have a lot of Hostas.
I just did a two mile walk in the neighborhood and we have some signs of spring here. Bulbs popping up everywhere,I hope we don't get a frost, my trillium are even coming up. The sun is out today ,I heard we had some pretty bad windy stormy weather while I was gone. Enjoy your lovely snowy view,relax and stay warm. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful property with all of us.
Seriously? Signs of spring in January would just be too soon for me. (although I know it's perfect for you) We are grateful for the reprieve that winter allows. Wow! Thank you for taking the time to review all those past posts. We have developed this property ourselves and no, not retired but learning to slow down and enjoy the fruits of our labor. The March/April FG article will answer your other questions. *Will you take marshmallows w/ your cocoa?
I'll go all out marshmallows please. We do get a reprieve during the winter months very little to do but wander the gardens and see what changes are happening, but you can't stop Mother Nature!
Terie, I'm with you in needing more time of rest from the labors of gardening. Jan. is when I begin to catch up on all the inside chores I have happily ignored for so many months... then come Feb., I can finally start to dream of possibilities for the coming spring.
The winter garden is a silent and eloquent truth teller and yours, Terie, shares that you have a gift for creating beauty on a large scale (the exquisite garden shed, the serene water feature with welcoming seating, the indentation of a brick pathway) as well as allowing more delicate details (standing seed heads of different heights, shapes and textures) to make their contribution. I am a huge fan of every aspect of your beautiful property.
Oh Michaele, I hang on your every word. You should have written the upcoming article for us. From the depths of my heart, I thank you.
Thank you, Terie, for your generous compliment...I have a ying/yang relationship with writing...the words can come so easily in a relaxed venue like this but make it an "assignment" ...hmmm...I'm not sure what the result would be. I have such admiration for those of you like yourself, Tim, Annek who have stepped up to the plate of writing your own articles about your gardens.
Oh, and I really enjoyed the additional pictures you shared after the fact yesterday...your property/garden is a delight from every vantage point.
Winter wonderland! Yes, it had to be captured just like this, with the snow accumulating in all the right places, not yet burying, only enhancing the structural plants, softening the focus, the only sounds being the cooing of the Mourning Doves. Thank you Terie!
Early winter does offer picture-perfect moments followed by shoveled paths to the feeders, heavy ice/snow flattened grasses, and other challenges. Much cooing this AM ~ with Mourning Dove numbering in the 30's.
So lovely, winter gardens can be amazing and yours certainly is. I love that you show us the garden vistas rather than plant studies.
Grateful that we have the space to step back and take in the views from a distance. Thank you Ann.
I do too too Terie but we just haven't had much snow up here just north of Toronto, if we do I will take some up to date pictures and post them. I'm sure we will we do have February to get through.
Great shots, Terie. I bet you get a wide variety of birds on your property. We love the birds, too, but our densely populated area keeps some of the more shy birds away.
Hi Tim, Our bird numbers are fabulous. I participate in the GBBC and have kept a birding journal since '00. In a bit I will post pictures for you (having to use my iPad to do that) of a feeding station in the gardens.
Awesome. Occasionally we'll see a cedar waxwing, but other than weed-birds, we're pretty limited to cardinals, blue jays, robins, wrens and chickadees.
Recognize this lantern? After 3 coats of protective seal we use it for winter feeding. In the summer it holds a candle.
Those are some great shots. Mourning doves are not the sharpest tool in the shed, but they sure are lovely.
Haahaha, well said!
Birdwatching from the indoors. Yes, that's our Symba.
Aaaah, a winter wonderland, Terie. I will have that hot cocoa and wander about. Ice skating too? Maybe? I love to stroll through snowy garden scapes. I can hear the subtle crunch of snow compacting beneath my feet at this very moment. It's an entirely new garden experience, even in one's own familiar environs. And thank goodness for birds, always giving that little extra life while much else sleeps. Thanks for sharing. I'm jealous, as it's very Spring-like here right now - weird winter.
The pond is spring fed so stays partially unfrozen. You inspire me to fast forward this morning and get out for that stroll. I will pretend you are at my side. :)
Terie... Exquisite!!! LOVE your photos, love your garden. Any chance of a garden tour in the spring/summer?
I am trying to place you Margaret... are you local?
Well, maybe "loco" ! :-) My sister lives in Ithaca, also a gardener. We like to do garden adventures together!
Oh, well then please do get in touch with us! We're in the book. (does anyone still look at the book?)
Thanks so very much! We would LOVE that!
So serene and peaceful. We've had almost no snow in the western part of montana this season, so I'll bask in the beauty of your photos....they are postcard perfect!
Thank you Anne. May you soon have sumptuous snowfall.
beautiful as always Terie and i even like the snow in these photos. my g'parents lived in the Finger Lakes area for many many years maybe i should head north again this summer to see the area and your garden
You would not be sorry Jeff! The Finger Lakes have SO much to offer. Check it out.
So jealous of your snow! It's been a very cold winter here in Maryland but almost no snow. As my Dad, a farmer, pointed out to me, that springtime after deep snows are wonderful, the fresh new plants and shrubs can drink deeply.
* I posted a picture on yesterday's feature this morning of a special Brunnera baby in response to comments about Jack Frost and variegated Brunneras.
Is it attractive enough to share? I'll repost it here. My species Brunnera and Jack Frost got together.
So very beautiful,love it!!
You know, I think I like that better than Jack Frost, which is hard to beat, in my opinion. Maybe I should let a little fraternizing go on and stop taking off the flowering stems after they are done blooming. Thanks for posting.
Yes, please share it here. Your dad is spot-on. The gardens suffer when winter withholds that blanket of protection and saturation of Springs moisture.
That is a lovely Brunnera! Definitely worth trying to keep and propagate.
How beautiful are your pictures once again! The grasses steals the show for me! Oh and I would love to sit and have a cup of hot chocolate with you on your viewing platform. That's wonderful that you have such a variety of birds too. We have these big pileated wood peckers and beautiful flickers which are so fun to watch. Wow what more can I say that hasn't been mentioned. Its a beautiful place you have created, Terrie. Iam so happy for you! Thanks for sharing with us!
w/ marshmallows Jeanne? Hooray, you enjoy our feathered friends as well. We have pileated, red-bellied, downy and hairy woodpeckers. Then, just this morning on my walk-about I heard & spotted a flicker! I was thrilled. We usually do not see them in the winter. I have to say my favs are chickadee-dee-dee.
Yes, aren't the chickadees nice! We have alot of them here. They are a great little bird. Right now Iam relaxing out in the outer gardens with hummus and a glass of wine watching four eagles fly around above... they are so beautiful. We use to have lots of Robins hanging around but not anymore. They would stay for the winter but I haven't seen any for some time. Well better get back to work...have a good evening! I can't wait to see your gardens in the next issue!
That is really beautiful and almost makes me wish we had snow.... almost.
Haaha... I do understand. My parents are now in the south and do not miss the inconvenience of snow.
Gorgeous photos!! How soft and beautiful the snow is. Here on Vancouver Island we very rarely get that kind of snow. We usually get a covering and then it disappears very quickly. Just watch I will be eating my words. I have Snowdrops, Hellebores and Witch Hazel blooming. The Witch Hazel came out in December. Also the daffodils are poking up their heads. Love all the birds and feeders. My cat too likes to look out the window at my feeders. The ornamental grass looks as if it is covered in cotton wool. Thanks Terie for a wonderful view of your fantastic garden.
Hi Catherine, You're very welcome. So glad you are already in the spring mode. We have to visit garden shows (Philadelphia) in the north-east to get our 'fix' during these winter months. Our Symba has been featured several times in past posts. He has slowed down (right along with us) as the years progress and is content now to just watch.
Thank you, Terie, for a winter peek at one of my favorite places.
Elaine ~ You know you are welcome any time of the year.
Terie, these photographs of the falling snow in your winter gardens are nothing less than beautiful. I feel as if I have been walking into a fairy tale. The garden house is pure delight. (I can't bring myself to call that sweet building a shed!) And your grasses... only in my dreams would mine look that good this time of year.
One thing for sure, I am going to try to come up with a plan to enhance the winter view from our windows. You have inspired me!
Good afternoon Sheila ~ If it will make you feel better, those grasses are looking pretty beat-up right now. The only one that stands firmly through the duration of winter is Zebra ~ in front of the Cottage to the right. (2nd photo) When Bud volunteered to build a 'shed' for my gardening I too decided it had to have a different name. It's official name is 'Step-back Cottage' first, because of an old step-back cupboard inside and second, because it is only a few steps back from the house. (AND when you step inside, you step back in time) teehee
Good afternoon to you, too, Terie!
I have to say that it doesn't make me happier that your grasses are flattened after snow. I dream of grasses that are 'picture perfect' throughout the winter, but it kind of makes me feel better knowing that mine don't just hate me. I've always liked Zebra grass. Maybe I'll give one a shot, it's definitely going to be part of my down-time, dreaming-time thoughts.
Step-back cottage is a perfect name for this beautiful creation. I used to have a step-back cupboard, too, before we moved to CO.
so pretty, almost makes me wish we had snow...... almost.
It's even more beautiful in the snow. If our rain had been snow, we would probably have 10' by now! During the Seahawks game Sunday it sleeted so hard the ground was white and we lost TV reception for a few minutes. But the sleet melted quickly. Bulbs are coming up, Hellebores are blooming, and the catkins are on the hazelnut trees. Spring is a long event in the PNW. Love it! Love the hybrid Brunnera. I think it's the prettiest one yet.
Terie, we left upstate NY - Schenectady area - in Jan. 1968. 35 below at night warming up to zero during the day, and 10-12' snowbanks. I grew up in NYS but I do not miss that kind of weather. Out here we could drive to the snow and most years not have to contend with driving to work in it. Altho there were some... I always enjoyed watching spring march up the mountain on our weekly drives to the ski area. And the sheer beauty of the snow and mountains never failed to inspire me. I just don't want it 24/7.
Hi Shirley, thankfully we are not that far north and do miss out on all the 'lake effect' from the Great Lakes. The most accumulation we've had here was 3' in '93. It took a backhoe to dig us out and it went sideways into our ditch. ;oP) When the roads are really bad, we just stay home and bake chocolate-chip cookies.
Sounds like a plan!
Terie ~ I have so been enjoying the winter stroll thru your gardens. Each picture is so inviting and you have done such a beautiful job with your gardens Do you spend time out there everyday during the growing season? It seems like a large space. My gardens are small but it takes almost everyday to keep them in shape. We use to have Doves too and I always enjoyed them but I think the Coyotes got them all - I mean they build their nests on the ground !! As Tim said, cute but not real bright. Thanks for the stroll and I am really looking forward to next issue of FG. Congrats ^_^
Hi there, glad I came back to view the comments and happy to see yours! Yes, I walk out our back door every morning rain or shine with a smile on my face. The gardens are requiring less work than they did in the past. Mostly they just need tweaking but occasionally I get a burst of motivation and the energy to follow through. My best Bud (husband) does all the lawn care now so that frees up my time for playing in the gardens ~ when I'm not working, that is. The #1 question people ask is, " How much time does it take?" I have concluded by answering, the equivalent of 2 days a week! I am out there early morning and late in the day when the weather is good.
About those Dove. Sorry to hear your numbers have declined. Being a "birder" I am thinking the loss probably has more to do with raptors. Birds of prey have been increasing in number here in our woodlot and friends of ours also. I see this played out often in our back yard. When the Dove don't feel safe they leave to go elsewhere.
So nice to hear from you Terie and thank you for your reply. Winter is so beautiful in your gardens. ^_^
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