Winter Garden

Most of us gardeners seem to be all too willing to close Nature's book at the end of the fall season and leave it closed until spring invites us in again. In other words, we seem to sheepishly accept that we will derive little pleasure from the garden for six months of the year--as though we'd never of thinking that before.

BUT, it has occurred to me lately that there truly is no good reason why my garden should be less attractive the year round if I were to plant for winter as well as summer effect.

True, it's difficult to have flowers in the winter, but we can secure color-effects with little trouble that will compensate to a considerable extent the lack of floral color. Without these the winter landscape is cold, some might say beautiful, but to most persons it will be dreary and monotonous even it it is dusted in a chilled whiteness.

But I've looked around with a new "the seeing eye" and can see that there are always elements of beauty in around the grounds and there is ample material at hand with which to give it the touches of brightness that can make it almost as attractive as it is in June.  So, I set out this Month to develop the start of a

a Winter Garden.

Once I started working to identify plants that would put year-round life into my otherwise dreary back yard, I have to admit that a winter garden can have many attractive features that are lacking in the summer garden For instance, have you not noted before how an evergreen bough stand out sharply against the background a gray cold fence, but how clearly every shrub - every branch - is outlined and accented by the snow. Only Nature can etch such a scene. Whatever color there is in the landscape is heightened and emphasized by strong, vivid contrast. There are little touches of exquisite beauty that cannot be found at another time of year.

And then there's they play of frosty light on snow and ice.  Share  your winter garden scenes.