Snow in Carol’s Garden

Carol Verhake gardens in Berwyn, Pennsylvania (Zone 7a), and after two years without getting any snow, she got a beautiful snowfall this winter. Here are some shots she took of the garden looking beautiful under its white blanket. If you want to see her garden during the growing season, check out this post: Carefully Chosen Colors Bring a Garden Together.

Ampelaster carolinianus (climbing aster, Zones 7–9) is primarily a fall bloomer, but with mild weather it can stretch right into the winter and, as here, have flowers topped with snow.

Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora, Zones 5–8) is evergreen in the warmer end of its range, and the fronds look amazing topped with snow.

Beautyberries (Callpicarpa spp.) have gorgeous purple berries in the fall that often last well into the winter, as some birds prefer them after a freeze or two has softened them up. That’s good for the birds, as they provide food for later in the season, and it’s good for the gardeners, as they get to enjoy the lovely berries for a long time.

Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar, Zones 5–9) looks beautiful in the snow. It’s hard to beat the classic beauty of conifers in the winter.

Edgeworthia (Zones 7–10) produces these large, beautiful heads of flower buds in the winter that push open into incredibly fragrant yellow blooms in very early spring.

Snowy winter days often show off garden structures and art at their very best. Here a trunk of a dead rhododendron has new life as a sculpture topped with a Moravian star.

This beautiful structure made from fallen limbs is what Carol calls her “love shack.” It is always beautiful, but wow does it look great in the snow!

One of the most dramatic features in Carol’s garden is her stone moon gate, and it is also looking