On my many garden visits and walks throughout the northeast over the past few months, I have been truly wowed by some amazing winter landscapes. Knock-out conifers cloaked in snow, trellises glittering with lights and ice-covered stonework can really perk up a mid-winter garden, and anyone lucky enough to visit it. Simply strolling through a public arboretum or sculpture park during the winter months can provide a fresh dose of inspiration to any gardener with an outdoor space in need of a design pick-me-up.
If you live in a wintery-climate like I do, this is the time of year when your garden's underling structure, (or lack thereof), really stands out. The 'bones' of the landscape, provided by design elements such as trees, shrubs, sculpture, fencing, walls, and other architectural details, hold a garden together when the flowers and foliage fade away. Because of their strong architecture, my favorite public and private gardens are every bit as gorgeous in winter as they are in summertime. Japanese, walled, rock, and terraced gardens, as well as many sculpture parks, owe a great deal of their season-spanning interest to stonework. After spending many delightful hours in artfully planned landscapes, I have found that the timeless, natural power of stone is always one of my favorite garden design elements.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to meet and work with some amazing landscape artists, but none more talented than visionary stone waller and author Dan Snow. For any gardener inspired by the natural beauty of rock walls, In the Company of Stone and Listening to Stone are two must-have additions to your library. These gorgeous books, with images by photographer Peter Mauss, and delightful essays by Dan Snow, will make almost any gardener want to reach for the nearest rock pile come spring. A working artist and master craftsman, the DSWA-certified Snow also teaches drystone walling courses throughout the world. His blog, In the Company of Stone, offers a peek inside his process, and the opportunity to learn more about the art of the stonewall. Over the years, Snow's stonework has been featured in many periodicals and books, including Gordon Hayward's popular home landscaping title, Stone in the Garden.
I've often observed that some of the best landscape designs make use of materials close at hand. By using local stone in the garden, structural elements and architectural details, such as retaining walls and water features, visually blend with natural surroundings. Many gardeners find themselves with a growing pile of rock somewhere on their property. For the do-it-yourselfer, like my sister who recently built a dry stonewall in her own garden, Charles McRaven's Stone Primer and his earlier title, Stonework: Techniques and Projects, offer excellent technical guidance. With a little inspirational reading and a lot of elbow grease, even a complete novice can create beautiful, season-spanning stone features of their own.
Winter is the perfect time to stroll through the garden, blazing new trails and pathways, imagining stone benches, and dreaming up places for placed-stone focal points. Stonework can provide natural texture, winter interest, and season-spanning structure to your garden.
Have you ever fantasized about trying your hand at a stonework or adding rock features to your garden? I confess, this gardener can never seem to get enough!
Michaela grew up gardening, studying plants, and picking organic produce on the family farm. When she isn't spreading compost or pruning shrubs, she can usually be found writing articles or giving seminars on all things gardening. Michaela has worked as a gardening professional for 15 years and is author of the popular blog, The Gardener’s Eden.
