Gardens in Winter

I had to use up a few last pictures to develop my film, so I thought I would take some of my yard. You can just barely make out some of the structural elements 'neath the snow.

This is the backyard, looking southeast.

Here is the backyard, looking northeast. In the bottom right corner you can see the tree stump bench in my Secret Garden. Is this what they mean by "winter interest"?

This message was edited Wednesday, Jan 22nd 8:27 PM

This is the front yard, looking north. Want to get cold and wet on that bench? (It is great in the summer tho)

I don't buy into this whole winter interest thing, mainly because I can't stand winter or COLD! The only interest I have in winter is when will spring get here, LOL...
But great pictures, I bet your garden is lovely in the summer. Not that it doesn't look nice now also. It's just the winter thing *grin*
Kristi

if it's going to be cold, let it snow lol. i would call that very nice winter interest. very lovely to look at from the warmth of indoors.

Kathy, I have shivers right now just looking at all that cold snow...hehe
You sure have a lovely yard under all that white stuff, you can tell just by looking at your "winter interest". lol

Your backyard is about the size of my whole lot.

Donna

About the only "nice" thing I can say about winter is that I can see the landscape architecture then. It makes it easier to plan for the spring. Otherwise, I agree: Bbbbrrrrrr *shiver*

I think snow makes a beautiful blanket for the garden, especially when you don't have to go outside.

Great photos Lupine, our garden just looks brown and wet but the upside is it' ain't as cold as where you live ;)

It's going down to minus 2 here in NC tonight......Can you believe it?

Lupinelover, that's just how I like my snow -- in a pretty picture!! (hee, hee)

Seriously, I'm from Chicago and settled out in California in 1970. It took eight years before we finally drove to Lake Tahoe in wintertime, because I had absolutely NO interest in seeing snow again!

But then when I was up there, I was impressed -- it was all white, and STAYED white. I was accustomed to the city dirt and smog turning it into nasty gray mush! Us city kids just ain't used to those wide open, clean country spaces!

Lupine, I do think your photos are relly something !

I do not have that type of winter. The snow like that it is about 150 Km away , towards the Andes and I do enjoy to go, admire it and return to my awfull winter rain !

I feel anyone who live with that much snow is so BRAVE !!!

cristina

Well, it didn't get down to -2 but it did get down to 6. After another frigid day or two, it got up into the 50s and was really balmy. I went out with great trepidation to look at my rock garden because the iris reticulata had come up and grown to about 6" tall before the cold. Would you believe, they still look just like they did? The freeze doesn't seem to have affected them at all!!
Well, we're back in the deep freeze this morning. This is the coldest, snowiest winter we have had for about 6 years.

Last winter my spring bulbs were very premature in sending up their bloom stalks. It got really cold one night, and it made the stalks very fragile where they were at ground-level. Didn't hurt the buds or prevent the flowers from opening, but for once, all of them were on the ground flowering. Got lots and lots of huge daffodil bouquets for the house, but the garden sure looked bare.

My iris all survived fine like yours: they are extra-hardy :)

This winter we have had snow cover most of the season (horribly unusual for us) to help insulate the ground from the cold. I would prefer to have less snow, more warmth, myself.

Cristina, when I lived in Arizona, my next-door neighbor had two kids. The older girl was 8 before she saw snow, the little boy was 3. Almost never snows in Phoenix, except during the night every few years, and it melts before morning. Sure wish I was back there. I envy your winters.

Kathy I think your pictures are great. I don't like the snow either but I love to see the outlines of trees and plants highlighted by the white stuff. Something that is almost lost come the leaves and the flowers!! Ethereal beauty!!

The pictures are lovely lupine. I am anxious for spring myself, but am trying to relish the fact that I can stay inside for a while and not worry with cutting grass, pulling weeds and all those other tasks. Cold as it is, I am enjoying sitting by the fire and watching it snow. Our day of "fun in the sun" will be here soon. I'll bet that long about August with 99 degree temps, one of us will be posting a "remember the winter snow" picture LOL!

Yesterday it got above freezing for the first time in 2+ weeks. The sun even showed momentarily. I went out, stood in the 8" of snow, and my heart sang!! Then, of course, later it sleeted and we got more snow. Oh well. *sigh*

Lupinelover, I think your yard looks beautiful with the snow. When I look in my yard right now all I can see is weeds. I'm going to have to do some serious weeding this weekend. I think snow would be wonderful to hide them.

Keep nice and warm and , please , do tell us how spring will start to show its happy bright face.

Also if you do, what kind of indoor seed sowing do you do.

Cristina, yes, I do almost all my gardening indoors during the winter. I have taken a few photos of my work space, but they are NOT pretty. Messy, dirty, but so much fun in the cold winter.

When I get those developed, I will start a new thread, maybe get some ideas from others who are better at being neat and organized?

I start many of my perennials indoors (almost all of them, actually) as well as annuals and vegetables that need to be started early. Lots of woody plants indoors, too: roses (of course), many types of shrubs, a couple kinds of trees. I am not a commercial grower, just an amateur who loves to grow things.