​Snow and Flowers

This week (on Nov. 15, 2018), we got a surprise snowstorm that blanketed our area. And I thought what a great opportunity to go find a few flowers still in bloom amongst the white flakes. One of the first places I thought I could go was one of our client’s yards to take some photos. To my delight, I found several flowers still in bloom. What’s better than a reminder of warmer days as the winter digs in? If you have ever wanted to create a garden where the colors of summer stay even into late autumn, then this blog entry is for you.

​We had an unseasonably early snow in the New York Metro area on Thursday. At least, it was kinda unseasonably. It’s not unheard of to have snow in northern New Jersey this time of year. The flurries turned the roads into ice rinks causing traffic jams and 5 to 6-hour commutes home. Luckily for me, I got out before it was too crazy and visited my client’s yard for an impromptu photo session. I had the suspicion I would find lots of flowers still exhibiting the tints of though the temperature had fallen below freezing for over a week.  And sure enough, I found a bunch.
 
When I design a space, the planting plan needs to have four-season interest, meaning even in the dead of winter grasses and perennials still making the garden unique. Of course, these plants are dormant but even as they sleep they can add amazing texture and hue to a yard.
 
After Life in Winter
If you want flowers to still be in bloom when the snow comes in November, you will need to select from a specific list of perennials. The cooler night air of mid to late autumn will wither most corolla, so the goal is to use hardy plants that can keep their color. The easy answer for this is species from the Asteraceae family. This family is home to a world of Aster options from A. cordifolius to A. novi-belgii - all native to the US and geared for the frostier evenings of fall. Another reason this family is so much fun to use is that Echinacea is within it too. 
 
More to Life than Summer
Everybody loves flowers in bloom, but I have to mention a couple of my favorite plants that look great dormant first. The image below is a pair of Veronicastrum virginicum.

​​They are well into inactivity, but that doesn’t stop them from being really incredible plants in fall and winter. Their long dark khaki racemes are where beautiful white and purple petals danced back in June through August. Now they demand attention standing tall and twisting into a dreadlock look from nature. They can keep their form late into January after several snowstorms. 

​Grasses are another way to keep your garden exciting. Most grasses will still be green into December as you can see in the picture above. Also in the photo are the eyes of Rudbeckia (aka black-eyed Susans) suspended in midair by thin stems. Along with them are the remains of Monarda and Pycnanthemum along with the still green Calamagrostis and just starting to fade Panicum. The life cycle of grasses express olive, forest, pine and mint as shades of beige, beaver and sand mix together. They can fill a garden for the entire year when planned and managed carefully. When the snows come, the way all of these plants move make entire place feels alive. 
 
Color is Important
The color doesn’t have to come from the plants alone. The image below shows a set of four chairs painted bright yellow around a very nice fire pit from Design within Reach.  Just behind the chairs is a smokebush (Contius) ablaze in deep crimson. 

​Reds naturally wash the landscape in November as trees shed, but one of my favorite plants for autumn is Lonicera sempervirens (in pic below). 

​Native to North America, it is a much more sustainable option to other more invasive honeysuckle plants. The flower in the pictures below shows a L. sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’ with its trumpet-like bloom still fully together. These vines can grow between 8 and 15 feet long and have a hardiness of 4 which means, they will survive very, very cold winters. Just seeing the red shine through the snow can warm you up.

Echinacea and Snow 
Lastly, and perhaps the most spectacular, is Echinacea purpurea, aka coneflowers pictured below. 

​This beautiful example of snow and flower is a special variety of E. purpurea named after Tennessee and is a rarity in nature due to overharvesting and habitat destruction. So to have the chance to plant this in northern New Jersey and have it thrive is a joy. A great source of food for birds and butterflies, its beauty is testament to the wonder of the great outdoors. The pink-purple petals are slowly washing out and will likely be completely gone within a few weeks. However, even after they lose their structure, they keep giving. The reason they are named “cone” flowers is due to their interior style. Under the seedhead and corlla is a cone (see image below).

​​When planted in a grove, these magnificent flowers can be traffic stopping from June until March. The coneflower is a member of the Asteraceae family, and seeds themselves with relative ease. It, along with many asters, can withstand the blunt force of winter. This yard doesn’t have aster, so I’ll hunt for a few examples and post them on Instagram when I find them. Until then, happy snow days!!