Garden Photo of the Day

End of the Year at Carla’s

Winter beauty is in the details

Today we’re in Malvern, Pennsylvania, in frequent-GPOD-contributor Carla Zambelli Mudry’s beautiful garden. If you don’t remember her garden, you can see her woodland garden here and see how it looks in spring here.

But today she’s looking at the garden in winter.

Well, here we are at the end of 2020. What a crazy year it has been! I thought I would show you a little of my garden in winter. Winter is about the architecture and structure of the garden and less about the blooms of the three other seasons. However, it is no less beautiful. Best wishes for a peaceful 2021 to all of the gardeners out there!

Buddha statue in snowA beautiful scene of snow on the garden, with a statue of Buddha serenely seated in the middle.

viburnumSometimes fall color lingers into early winter, as with this viburnum, still blushing rosy red.

winter plant decorA bundle of cut evergreen branches and berries makes a long-lasting winter display.

evergreens in plantersPlanters filled with evergreens and branches look all the better with a light dusting of snow.

dwarf Alberta spruce in a planterA dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’ Zones 3–6) in a container looks particularly festive wearing a colorful ribbon and a dusting of snow. Remember that plants growing in containers will have their roots exposed to much colder temperatures to those growing in the ground, so choose hardier varieties or move the containers into a sheltered spot for the winter.

Cinnamon fernCinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, Zones 3–9) is a wonderful native fern. These are the fertile fronds that produce the spores for the next generation of ferns, and they persist throughout winter, giving great structure to a shade garden in the off-season.

Hydrangea flower headsHydrangea flower heads also hang on for a long time, looking perfect with snow resting on them.

shrub branches in winterEnjoying a northern garden during the winter is all about the details, like the beautiful latticework this shrub makes against the white snow behind it.

cooper’s hawkA Cooper’s hawk paid a visit to the garden, looking for a winter snack.

owl wood carvingAnother bird of prey in the garden sits more still.

 

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Comments

  1. Rebeccazone7 01/04/2021

    These pictures made me realize how much I really miss the snow. I was born and raised in the lake effect snow of lake Erie. It lends such a quiet peacefulness to a winter garden. Your pictures are lovely and will help me to stay in the beauty of today...

  2. Maggieat11 01/04/2021

    Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
    And I love the owl sculpture, too!

  3. User avater
    treasuresmom 01/04/2021

    Love your pics & especially the cinnamon fern.

  4. User avater
    bdowen 01/04/2021

    Your photos are a reminder to bundle up and go out on the snowy days too! Favorite: the snow on the Buddha sculpture highlighting the hairstyle.

  5. User avater
    simplesue 01/04/2021

    I have the same Buddha kept inside...love seeing yours in the garden in the snow...so pretty and serene for sure!
    Your observations of your garden in winter via your photos was an enjoyable and pretty post!

  6. btucker9675 01/04/2021

    I, too, miss the snow since leaving northern NJ. I took videos of beautiful snowfalls in my gardens on my phone the last winter we were there and I watch them regularly when I get "home" sick. We get very little here in the Charlotte, NC area but I am always thrilled when it happens! Thank you for sharing these truly lovely images from your garden.

  7. [email protected] 01/04/2021

    Great share for the first Monday in the New Year. Think I'll try to do some nice evergreen containers the next dry day here, probably Thursday!! Thankful for the rain, but a bit much this week in Maple Valley!

  8. PattyLouise 01/04/2021

    Lovely photos! Love the pots! Thanks for sharing!

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