spines

Of course, for garden designers, this is the season when we see the spine of the garden, the hardware of rock or brick paths, edging, sculpture (or birdbaths or sundials), ceramic pots. Evergreens or woody branches and stems of deciduous plants all provide the punctuation, cutting up into the air. This is the lay of the garden, what we see now.

If we think in multiple layers as we plot out the garden, we can provide something of interest, something to break the plane of sight, something to frame or lead our eyes toward. All this is more interesting than nothing.

Even with snow on the ground, given shape by plants or hardware, along with evergreens like a yew or boxwood, the garden in winter can be visually interesting.