Hi GPODers and Happy New Year’s Eve!
To wrap up this year I wanted to celebrate some gardens that make this season so special. Inspired by Carol Verhake’s gorgeous submission of fresh snow in her garden (Fresh Snow in Carol’s Pennsylvania Garden), I dug into the Garden Photo of the Day archive to find some fabulous winter garden photos that show how lights and dazzling decor are not needed for an exciting late-season landscape.
January in Carol’s Garden
We’re kicking it off with the queen of the cold season herself, Carol Verhake in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Carol has shared some gorgeous photos of her garden coated in snow, but her landscape is also filled with plants that reach their peak in winter and put on a spectacular performance with or without the white stuff.
‘Amethyst’ witch hazel (Hamamelis ‘Amethyst’, Zones 5–8) is a beautiful shrub with reddish flower. The long, narrow petals open on warm days and curl up on the colder ones. Witch hazels are one of the best winter-flowering shrubs, even in climates with very cold, snowy winters.
Celebrating Winter Beauty
Next up we head to Wellesley, Massachusetts for the incredible shapes and patterns in Barbara Owen’s winter garden. Her space is another that highlights the additional beauty a layer of snow can bring to a winter landscape.
The trees outlined with delicate lines of snow
Mid-Winter in Lynne’s New Zealand Garden
Switching gears, the winter garden of Lynne Leslie’s in Wellington, New Zealand emerges when gardens in the Northern Hemisphere are at their summer peak. Along with the winter season falling during a different time of year, her garden features a unique array of plants throughout its “down” time.
Another winter favourite is flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta, Zones 9–11). It grows so rapidly that I must cut it back hard after flowering. Great for picking and such a bright light in the garden.
Winter Favorites
I’m sure plenty of readers dream of tropical winters (or potentially escape cold climates for sunnier weather down south), but other readers dream of snowy days from their warm-weather locations. Beth Tucker, who currently lives in Waxhaw, North Carolina, shared photos of winter from her previous home in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
My gnarled hazel, Harry Lauder’s walking stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’, Zones 3–9), after a snow. I loved it best in the winter when you could really see the shape.
Winter Interest in Jay’s Garden
Conifers are some of the most colorful stars in a winter landscape, and Jay Sifford’s garden in North Carolina is a masterclass in colorful trees and shrubs. The award-winning landscape designer creates gardens that dazzle in every season, but his home landscape is one I always circle back to this time of year.
One of my favorite parts of the garden, particularly in winter, is this hillside filled with conifers, heaths, and heathers. This view, taken from my living room window, shows the scrim effect of the ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Zones 5–9) seed heads that I’ve planted as part of my foundation planting.
Winter Beauty in Bonnie’s Garden
Of course, conifers aren’t the only foliage plants that show off when weather gets cool. Bonnie Plikaytis in north Georgia has a wonderful mix of evergreens in her winter garden that provide structure and color, as well as some deciduous plants that keep providing interest when other leaves have already dropped.
Sometimes winter interest doesn’t come from an evergreen at all. The dark burgundy color of the large leaves of this oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’, Zones 5–9) certainly holds one’s attention. (Note that this shrub has grown much larger than the predicted size!) The photo shows a Southgate® Grace™ rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth Ard’, Zones 6–9) in the foreground and a Japanese plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia, Zones 5–9) to the side.
Cleo’s Washington Garden in Winter
A more recent submission (from February of this year) shows that there really is no limit to the beauty your can create in a winter landscape. Cleo Raulerson in Bellevue, Washington has shared her garden through the seasons, so it was absolutely no surprise that her winter landscape still displayed layers and layers of interest.
Layers on a garden bank: red berries of rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis, Zones 5–7); soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum, Zones 6–8); and ‘Speedy Silver Rose’ cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Speedy Silver Rose’, Zones 5–9) tucked in among mossy boulders.
Snow in Carla’s Garden
One last celebration of snow comes from Carla Zambelli Mudry in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Carla’s woodland landscape is full of interest thanks to a wide range of mature trees and shrubs, but her winter landscape also highlights the importance of art for added interest when flowers and other garden elements are lacking.
Carla’s owl sculpture, carved from the stump of a tree, looks beautiful every day of the year but is especially magical in the snow.
Margot’s Winter Garden
When the ground hasn’t yet thawed, containers can add wonderful splashes of color to winter gardens. This colorful creation from Margot Navarre in Bellevue, Washington was a great prelude to the snowdrops, cyclamens, crocus, and hellebores that flood her landscape in late winter and the earliest days of spring.
Cyclamen coum (winter cyclamen, Zones 5–8) has beautiful leaves and it blooms in late winter to early spring. Leaves range from solid silver to complex patterns of silver and green, and flowers range from white to dark pink. Here, two plants show off in a container so you can easily get up close to appreciate the detail of their foliage and flowers.
Cherry’s Fresh Winter Wreaths and Swags
Lastly, we can’t talk about winter without talking about the decor, and Cherry Ong in Richmond, British Columbia takes wreath making to the next level. Cherry has sent many spectacular designs over the years so it was nearly impossible to pick just one to showcase. This silvery blue creation is just one of many favorites.
Dark and elegant wreath for a friend who loves horses.
Ingredients:
- Laurustinus viburnum (Viburnum tinus, Zones 5–7) berries
- Silver dollar eucalyptus (Eucalyptus cinerea, Zones 8–11)
- Silver Bell eucalyptus pods
- Black velvet ribbon
- Ornament of your choice – my choice for this gift was a cowboy boot
Thank you to all of the contributors who have shared their winter gardens over the years (featured here, or not), and thank you to all of the gardeners who have shared their gorgeous gardens this year. I hope you all had a great 2025, and if the year brought its fair share of struggles then I hope that 2026 brings you a little bit more peace and positivity.
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