I love the look of snow on branches. These two pigeons are a mated pair; they’ve been hanging about in our garden for about 4 years now.
A pair of pigeons
Below, the giant Fraxis growing in a pot. It will reach 12 feet tall one day.
A pop of colorFront Porch protective Cairn, buried under the snow
Of all the plantings in my garden, the hedges are one of my favorites. I feel like they’re one of my greatest successes, planted as 1/8″ diameter 18″ high twigs in 2007.
I love the hedges, all seasons!
A magical winter wonderland
Blue spruce, north sideA nice 3″ of snow
The wind blew so fierce and cold, at about -10 degrees, that the snow formed into icicles, and froze in place in the direction of the wind in that particular part of the garden.
Looking back at photos from 2013. It looks like there is between 6 and 8″ of snow on the ground. Now, in March of 2019, as I am posting this,
Snow cushions
we haven’t had more than 3″ of snow at a time for the past 6 years. So far this winter (from November through March, I have had a total of 14″ of snow falling 1/4″ to 3″ at a time. Mostly 1/4″.) 1/4″ of snow is all but worthless. It melts off the 3″ deep layer of mulch before it even gets to the ground below.
6-8″
One of the things I love about Colorado is that it can snow 3″ over night, and all that snow will be melted into the ground by 3pm the following day. But not if you only get 1/4″ to begin with. It literally evaporates away.
The winter of 2006 the skies opened and snow fell for 24 solid hours. 3 feet of it. The snow filled the ditches which surround the property, making them seem like slight depressions at the side of the road. 4 neighbors drove their cars into the ditches at various points around the neighborhood (wish I had got pictures!) and were buried up to the windows in snow, having to be towed out.
The three frozen muses
Recently, I have had to drag 300′ of hose around the yard to water in the winter for the past 4 years. It’s back breaking, shoulder pulling, time consuming hell. It takes me 10 solid days to get the yard watered, 3 hours a day during the peak heat of the day – if there’s heat. And by heat, I mean 40-50 degrees. Otherwise, you can’t water, because it just freezes around the roots of the plants and that’s worse than not having any water at all.
Many are pining for spring. Not me, I’m praying for snow, lots of it. THIS is what climate change looks like. End of rant.
Beautiful because the snow highlights the bones of plants and structures that you don’t see otherwise.
the Vege garden
Beautiful because the garden is at rest, so I am at rest.
Rabbit, catching some sun against the south facing side of the vege garden bedSouthern guardian, feeling a little out of his element.
Beautiful because thee is a deep silence and stillness that only winter brings.
Bottle bed, north/east garden. secluded up next to the north berm, and under the Canadian Red Cherry.The color on the story pole stands out in the snowy backdrop
Beautiful because even the smallest bit of color seems like a gift from God.
this bird feeder is very busy during the winter. It’s in the south facing willow garden. The large spruce to the left gives the birds a place to flee to when they feel nervous.
I love how the light shines through the bottle wall, even in the grey light of the storm. The elemental dragons seem undaunted.Womb of the Earth, looking through the butterfly garden
Beautiful because it magnifies the strength of all creatures exposed to it.
Witches Hat Cupola
Just, Beautiful.
Fountain, South Willow Garden. I love how the snow drapes the bowl. But it also reminds me that I need to get outside and clean it out, dry it and wrap it for winter, so it doesn’t crack.
