On this snow day I'm enjoying all the photos posted online of gardens covered in snow. What makes the native garden so beautiful with fresh snow?
The diversity of textures and structures are perfectly silhouetted with a layer of fluffy snow. Bare branched trees become works of art. Icicles hang from seed heads and grass stalks.
Hydrangea is particularity beautiful with snow capped seed heads. Gardeners that have already cleaned up dead stems are missing out on these suspended cloud puffs in their garden. Coneflower seeds also makes a nice surface for collecting snow.
The morning after a snow fall is a telling time to find bird and other wildlife tracks. A particular treasure is the feather imprint of a hawk's wings in the snow as it lands on it's prey. Snow tells the favorite trails of the garden and reveals the entrance to winter dens. Bird feeders are always popular spots on snow days and it is easy to spot the birds against a white background.
Plants that hold their berries through winter like the maroon berries of beauty berry add pops of color to the limited color palette of winter. The color shines even brighter when covered in a layer of ice. Winter blooming yellow Witchhazel is lovely with a dusting a snow. I admire the hardy little bees that venture out to pollinate the flowers.
When preparing the garden for winter beauty be sure to leave sturdy plants standing. Clumps of arching grasses will become frozen ice fountains. Trees, shrubs, and garden art provide the architecture of the garden when all the paths become invisible.
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