Winter Interest in the Garden

It is quite unusual to have this much snow so early in the season. The rain that followed fortunately has not completely washed away the snow. Sturdy grasses, woody plants and those perennials with interesting seeds really do add to the interest of the winter garden.

Over the next few days, I'm going to take a look at what constitutes good winter interest - the grasses that take more snow and abuse, the prettiest hydrangeas and those little plants that surprisingly stay green in spite of the blast of wintery weather.

One of my favourite small trees for winter interest is the Pagoda Dogwood - Cornus alternifolia. Look how the snow sits on the branches and how nice they look highlighted by the Christmas lights!