{"id":5725,"date":"2025-12-31T01:56:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T09:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/reflections-on-some-favorite-winter-gpods\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T01:56:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T09:56:48","slug":"reflections-on-some-favorite-winter-gpods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/reflections-on-some-favorite-winter-gpods\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Some Favorite Winter GPODs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi GPODers and Happy New Year\u2019s Eve!<\/p>\n

To wrap up this year I wanted to celebrate some gardens that make this season so special. Inspired by Carol Verhake\u2019s gorgeous submission of fresh snow in her garden (Fresh Snow in Carol\u2019s Pennsylvania Garden<\/a>), I dug into the Garden Photo of the Day<\/em> archive to find some fabulous winter garden photos that show how lights and dazzling decor are not needed for an exciting late-season landscape.<\/p>\n

January in Carol\u2019s Garden<\/a><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re kicking it off with the queen of the cold season herself,\u00a0Carol 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.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\u2018Amethyst\u2019 witch hazel (Hamamelis<\/em><\/a> \u2018Amethyst\u2019, Zones 5\u20138) 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.<\/p>\n

Celebrating Winter Beauty<\/a><\/h3>\n

Next up we head to Wellesley, Massachusetts for the incredible shapes and patterns in Barbara Owen\u2019s winter garden. Her space is another that highlights the additional beauty a layer of snow can bring to a winter landscape.<\/p>\n

\"garden<\/a>The trees outlined with delicate lines of snow<\/em><\/p>\n

Mid-Winter in Lynne\u2019s New Zealand Garden<\/a><\/h3>\n

Switching gears, the winter garden of\u00a0Lynne Leslie\u2019s 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 \u201cdown\u201d time.<\/p>\n

\"vine<\/a>Another winter favourite is flame vine<\/em> (Pyrostegia venusta, Zones 9\u201311). It grows so rapidly that I must cut it back hard after flowering. Great for picking and such a bright light in the garden.<\/em><\/p>\n

Winter Favorites<\/a><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

\"small<\/a>My gnarled hazel, Harry Lauder\u2019s walking stick <\/em>(Corylus avellana<\/a>\u00a0\u2018Contorta\u2019,<\/a>\u00a0Zones 3\u20139), after a snow. I loved it best in the winter when you could really see the shape.<\/em><\/p>\n

Winter Interest in Jay\u2019s Garden<\/a><\/h3>\n

Conifers are some of the most colorful stars in a winter landscape, and\u00a0Jay Sifford\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"winter<\/a>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 \u2018Karl Foerster\u2019 feather reed grass<\/em>\u00a0(<\/em>Calamagrostis<\/a>\u00a0\u00d7 acutiflora\u00a0\u2018Karl Foerster\u2019, Zones 5\u20139) seed heads that I\u2019ve planted as part of my foundation planting<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Winter Beauty in Bonnie\u2019s Garden<\/a><\/h3>\n

Of course, conifers aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\"shrubs<\/a>Sometimes winter interest doesn\u2019t come from an evergreen at all. The dark burgundy color of the large leaves of this oakleaf hydrangea<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(Hydrangea quercifolia\u00a0\u2018Ruby Slippers\u2019, Zones 5\u20139) certainly holds one\u2019s attention. (Note that this shrub has grown much larger than the predicted size!) The photo shows a Southgate\u00ae<\/sup> Grace\u2122 rhododendron (<\/em>Rhododendron<\/a> \u2018Elizabeth Ard\u2019, Zones 6\u20139) in the foreground and a Japanese plum yew<\/em>\u00a0(Cephalotaxus harringtonia,\u00a0Zones 5\u20139) to the side.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cleo\u2019s Washington Garden in Winter<\/a><\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"shrub<\/a>Layers on a garden bank: red berries of rockspray cotoneaster<\/em>\u00a0(Cotoneaster<\/a>\u00a0horizontalis<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0Zones 5\u20137);\u00a0soft shield fern<\/em>\u00a0(Polystichum<\/a>\u00a0setiferum<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0Zones 6\u20138);\u00a0and \u2018Speedy Silver Rose\u2019 cyclamen<\/em>\u00a0(Cyclamen<\/a>\u00a0hederifolium\u00a0<\/em>\u2018Speedy Silver Rose\u2019,<\/em>\u00a0Zones 5\u20139)\u00a0tucked in among mossy boulders.<\/em><\/p>\n

Snow in Carla\u2019s Garden<\/a><\/h3>\n

One last celebration of snow comes from Carla Zambelli Mudry in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Carla\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"owl<\/a>Carla\u2019s owl sculpture, carved from the stump of a tree, looks beautiful every day of the year but is especially magical in the snow.<\/p>\n

Margot\u2019s Winter Garden<\/a><\/h3>\n

When the ground hasn\u2019t yet thawed, containers can add wonderful splashes of color to winter gardens. This colorful creation from\u00a0Margot 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.<\/p>\n

\"container<\/a>Cyclamen<\/i>\u00a0coum<\/i> (winter cyclamen, Zones 5\u20138) 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<\/a>\u00a0so you can easily get up close to appreciate the detail of their foliage and flowers.<\/p>\n

Cherry\u2019s Fresh Winter Wreaths and Swags<\/a><\/h3>\n

Lastly, we can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\"holiday<\/a>Dark and elegant wreath for a friend who loves horses.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/em><\/p>\n