Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up January: The Inner Beauty of Winter!

Welcome!

Happy New Year and welcome to my January zone 7b Long Island garden! After the snowiest December in years with two snowfalls, one of seven inches on the 14th, followed by another four inches a week later, the start of January came in chilly with another coating of snow earlier in the month. Now the temperatures have risen into the upper 40's, making it feel downright balmy outside, so I have been spending time in the garden, gently anticipating spring. Join me for a tour as we appreciate the inner of beauty of winter.

Garden Gal!

As we start the tour of the garden, here is the infamous "Garden Gal" statue, which I have had for as long as I can remember, as she carries her basket of dormant Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia). This hardy, creeping groundcover has been doing rather well contained in a planter, as long as the winters are not too harsh.

Nellie Steven's Holly

As we wander towards the backyard, this Nellie Steven's Holly is a regular stop on our monthly tour, but one cannot walk pass it by without admiring its bright red berries, which are prominent this time of year.

Crape Myrtle 'Sioux'

Here is the winter bark of Crape Myrtle 'Sioux'. This late summer blooming tree has an exfoliating bark in which the color is more prominent when the tree is actively growing, but it does add a nice touch to the landscape in the wintertime. The bark shows interesting patterns which can be seen while close up.

Mugo Pine

One of the many garden interests of winter that catch the eye are the seed cones of pine. Here is a close up view of Mugo Pine with its dark brown, egg-shaped clusters of seeds. Each cone is only 1.5 to 2 inches in size.

Happy Visitors!

I feed the visiting birds regularly during the cold winter months when food sources are more scarce, and they eagerly await my arrival with their daily meals. As I approach the feeder they sit in the nearby tree, and the second I replenish their food they are all over it and happy as can be. I am convinced that they are thanking me as I am greeted with an abundance of chirping!

Rhododendron Buds!

Here in the back pool surround, the buds of Rhododendron are starting to show as the tree prepares for its blooms in spring...

Weeping Norway Spruce

while Weeping Norway Spruce gracefully borders the pool patio.

Spruce Seeds Up Close

The seeds of spruce are another example of the inner beauty of winter. Here they are up close.

Evergreen Mix

Here along the northern pool border is a combination of  Leucothoe 'Axillaris', Upright 'Sky Pencil' Holly, Golden Variegated Sedge, and Dwarf Spreading Yew 'Repandens' (far right), all which are evergreen throughout the year.

Leucothoe 'Axillaris'

One thing I enjoy about broadleaved evergreens is their ability to change to an array of colors, depending on the temperatures and seasons. Here the foliage of Leucothoe 'Axillaris' turns a bronzy color in the colder temperatures of winter. As the plant slows in producing chlorophyll, it produces pigments called anthocyanins, which protect its leaves from the intense winter sun when chlorophyll is lacking, a phenomenon known as photoprotection.

Winter Interest

Here is another view of the Leucothoe with a closer look at the contrasting foliage of Dwarf Spreading Yew. One of my favorite things to do while designing is combining different textures.

Driveway Border

Along the driveway border is Weeping Norway Spruce and Dwarf Norway Spruce with Spirea alongside them in winter mode...

Driveway Border-Golden Skyland's Oriental Spruce

and Golden Skyland's Oriental Spruce as it towers towards the sky. 

Golden Skyland's Oriental Spruce Up Close!

I admire its beautiful foliage every moment of the year and even more so in wintertime. Purplish seed cones form in the upper branches in springtime, which I always look forward to.

All-Season Patio Planter

Along the gate entrance is an all-season planter consisting of Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Blue Juniper and Variegated Golden Boxwood...

A reminder of Snow

and along the front walkway is a last shimmer of snow.

Winter Blooms!-Hellebore 'Shooting Star'

As winter continues, Hellebore buds form, which will very soon open into beautiful blooms, reminding us that there can be beauty and blooms all throughout winter.

Indoor Collection

As the hours of daylight slowly increase and while awaiting the winter to pass, the indoor garden continues to thrive with colorful foliage, accompanied by the blooms of African Violet and Thanksgiving Cactus.

Indoor Collection

For a moment each morning, I just gaze out the window and dream.

Thanks for Visiting!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my January garden. I so appreciate you being here, look forward to your comments and enjoy seeing what you have growing in your garden. Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who had hosted Foliage Follow-Up, a meme I will continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday, Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at Jaipur Garden.

Other Places to Find Me 🌼

You can visit my Author Page 👈to learn about and purchase my books, each one focusing on different aspects of gardening, including landscape ideas, design principles, gardening by month for all-season interest, gardening tips and maintenance, shade gardening, gardening inspiration and more. And also be sure to check out my newest publication, The Houseplant Guide, to guide you on your houseplant journey! If you have read any of my books and have found them to be useful, reviews are very much appreciated!

Also, check out my newsletter Northeastern Gardening News for monthly updates all to do with gardening! It's free to subscribe or you can pledge a donation to show support for my work and receive monthly updates right into your inbox!

Find me on Instagram at Northeastern Gardening and Facebook at A Guide to Northeastern Gardening Blog & Author Page.

Until we Meet Again...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2026. All rights reserved. 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up: The Not So Hidden Inner Beauty of Winter

Welcome to my December Garden!

Welcome to my Long Island zone 7b December garden! As the temperatures plummet into the 30's and 40's by day and I venture outdoors, I search for the inner beauty of nature, especially now as the garden goes dormant. If you open your mind and allow your eyes to look deeply, it is possible to find beauty everywhere. There is mention of our first snow in the forecast, so I have been preparing. Join me as we venture out into the wintertime garden. 

Welcoming Committee!

As we start our tour, we first encounter the official welcoming committee and the Trombly’s Red Sentinel Japanese Maple that resides behind them. Now that the leaves have fallen, you can clearly see its inner structure of winding branches with a slight tint of burgundy.

Nellie Stevens Holly Berries

In the back garden the berries of Nellie Steven’s Holly are at their brightest red for the holiday season and are a delightful feast for the birds.

Back "Secret Garden"

Way in the back is the “secret garden”. Tucked away and only accessed through a path from the main lawn, a mature Weeping Norway Spruce can be seen along with Variegated Boxwood, Cherry Laurel and the remains of the caramel colored foliage of Coral Bells.

Leucothoe 'Axillaris'

To the south of the secret garden, evergreen Leucothoe ‘Axillaris’ has a burgundy tint to its foliage this time of year with flower buds setting for next year, adding interest to the back shade garden.

Patio Border

Along the patio border is a smaller Weeping Norway Spruce, which is accompanied by the bronzing wintertime color of Dwarf Cryptomeria and a dwarf form of Nandina called ‘Obsession’. This newer cultivar of Nandina stays evergreen in zone 7b, has been grown to not produce berries (which are believed to be harmful to birds) and it is non-invasive as compared to its original counterpart. It also gets this fiery pinkish-orange color in wintertime, which is a plus!

Northern Border

Here along the northern border, the foliage of Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar seems to be even more prominent in winter. Heuchera ‘Caramel’ lives beneath it along a moss rock border.

Stachys (Lamb' Ear) Wintertime

If you are looking for a touch of white in the garden, Lamb’s Ear fits the bill. Its fuzzy white foliage can be seen throughout the entire year and it gets stalks of pink blooms mid-way through the summer season.

Rose Hip Wintertime

As the Knock Out Roses go dormant for the winter months, the remaining rose hips bring some fun and interest to the landscape…

Weeping White Pine Seed Cone

while the seed cones of white pine add some interest too!

Winter Beauty

As I had mentioned earlier, if you look deeply enough you will see beauty everywhere. I find something as simple as the dried flowers of Hydrangea to catch the eye!

Front Raised  Bed

As we venture around to the front of the property you will notice another Weeping Norway Spruce along with the variegated foliage of Osmanthus 'Goshiki', deep green needles of Dwarf Norway Spruce and dwarf Cryptomeria way to the left. In the backdrop is a very mature Blue Atlas Cedar and two Weeping Japanese Maples.

Raised Bed Front Lawn-A New Look!

Here is the newest renovation of the raised bed. When a huge Beech Tree on the corner recently had met its demise and had to come down, I decided to add something new...a moss rock decorative wall. I am enjoying how it came out as it adds some interest and has given the bed a finished look. In the springtime, the existing perennials along the rock will fill in the gaps.

Driveway Border

It is December, so the branches of the Coral Bark Maple ‘Sangu Kaku’ are starting to develop their slightly coral-pink tinge. As the temperatures lower and as the possibility of snow arrives, the color of the branches will get only get deeper. The Maple is accompanied  by Golden ‘Skylands’ Oriental Spruce, which was planted back in 2008, and now towers to approximately 25 feet tall.

Container Planting

I have gotten into more container planting over the years and have created these all-season planters with mixtures of cold hardy evergreens. This one has a combination of Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Whipcord Arborvitae and Boxwood.

Awaiting Winter Blooms!

Just when most of the blooms have gone dormant for wintertime, there is always Hellebore (Lenten Rose) with its evergreen foliage and colorful bracts. This one is called ‘Shooting Star’ and will start blooming in January.

Our First Winter Snow

And what a difference a day makes! Just like that...on the morning of the 14th as we awoke, the weather predictions had became true. The snow had arrived and the once green landscape has turned into a snowy winter wonderland with six inches plus of snowfall. It is official...it is the largest December snowfall we have had in years.

Winter Wonderland

For now, I am staying inside warm and cozy and admiring the view from the window. The words, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” are going through my mind as the sound of snow plows can be heard in the street. Since this is the last post for 2025, I want to thank you, my readers, for being here each month. It means the world to me and whatever you celebrate, I wish you and yours all the best for a wonderful and happy holiday season!

The Indoor Garden!

While the weather outside is frightful (sorry, could not resist!) the blooms inside are delightful! Here is my favorite color of Thanksgiving Cactus blooming away. I also have red, light pink and salmon colored varieties and love them all! Some of them start blooming in October and just keep on going! Here is a little hint: Removing faded blooms right away and pinching back extra long branches will keep the plant fuller and the blooms coming!

Indoor Garden

The back room is what I call my jungle and I enjoy it all year long, but even more so in the wintertime. Here is ‘Golden Crocodile’ Philodendron and ‘Ring of Fire’ Philodendron. They are quite happy with their new grow light.

Indoor Garden

I got on a ‘Thai Constellation’ Monstera kick for the simple reason that it is a rare plant to find, so I was on a mission to find it. Well, I did and these two plants started off in four inch pots. They have grown into mature plants in little time and are very happy a couple of feet from the southern exposure window. 

Hope you Enjoyed the Visit!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my December garden. I so appreciate you being here, look forward to your comments and enjoy seeing what you have growing in your garden. Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who had hosted Foliage Follow-Up, a meme I will continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday, Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at Jaipur Garden. 

Other Places to Find Me 🌼

You can visit my Author Page 👈to learn about and purchase my books, each one focusing on different aspects of gardening, including landscape ideas, design principles, gardening by month for all-season interest, gardening tips and maintenance, shade gardening, gardening inspiration and more. And also be sure to check out my newest publication, The Houseplant Guide, to guide you on your houseplant journey! If you have read any of my books and have found them to be useful, reviews are very much appreciated!

Also, check out my newsletter Northeastern Gardening News for monthly updates all to do with gardening! It's free to subscribe or you can pledge a donation to show support for my work and receive monthly updates right into your inbox!

Find me on Instagram at Northeastern Gardening and Facebook at A Guide to Northeastern Gardening Blog & Author Page.

Until we Meet Again...Wishing you a happy holiday season and Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2025. All rights reserved. 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up February: A Wintery Long Island Garden

Welcome!

Welcome! There is something about a winter garden that is magical. After a January with record low temperatures, the month of February has brought a combination of cold windy days, moderately comfortable days and our first significant snowfall overnight on the 8th, followed by more snow on the evening of the 11th, creating a blanket of white upon the landscape. Join me as we embark on a tour of my Long Island garden! You better dress warm!

Winter Landscape: Driveway Border

As we start the tour, Golden Oriental Spruce and Hinoki Cypress are covered with a fresh snowfall, while the bare branches of  Coral Bark Maple alongside them glows a vivid coral-red. The snow always has a way of making the attractive new growth of the Maple glow even brighter.

Nandina 'Obsession'

The winter cold and snow have the same effect on Dwarf  Nandina 'Obsession' as its newer foliage becomes a more vivid pinkish-red. Note: This hybrid form of Nandina is sterile, does not produce seeds or become invasive and it stays at a compact size of just three to four feet at maturity.

Weeping Norway Spruce & Nandina 'Obsession'

Along with Nandina 'Obsession' is Weeping Norway Spruce and joining them is dwarf Cryptomeria...

Nestled in Snow

and all nestled in snow is one of my favorite garden statues, which I get to look out at everyday.

Mature Weeping Norway Spruce

In the back western garden a very mature Weeping Norway Spruce adds some winter interest along with Golden Fernspray Hinoki Cypress. Several yeas ago, one of the main branches of this tree was severely damaged by the weight of heavy snow, but thankfully it has recovered nicely.

Pool Border

Along the pool border is Weeping Japanese Maple 'Red Select', which is one of the more compact varieties of Weeping Japanese Maple. It sits in front of the pool, which now looks like a frozen pond covered with a layer of ice.

Northwestern Border

Along the other side of the pool Spreading Yew, Leucothoe and Sky Pencil Holly are covered in snow... 

Nellie Steven's Holly

while the berries of Nellie Steven's Holly glow bright red in the backdrop and are a feast for the birds.

Patio Border

Along the patio border Garden Gal awaits the days of spring when her planter will come to life...

Pool Border

and as we countdown the days to spring, here is one more view of the waterfall all covered in snow.

Driveway Border

As we move along the driveway border, here is Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar...

Driveway Border

and a closer look at the newer growth of Coral Bark Maple as it glows next to Golden Skyland's Oriental Spruce. The remains of a hornet nest from summer is still hanging on up above.

Evergreen Love!

Have I ever mentioned that I love evergreens? Here are two of my favorites and when combined together they create interest all year long. Variegated Boxwood is in the backdrop while Blue Globe Spruce is in the front. Each is slow growing and can be kept compact to a desired size with some occasional pruning.

Holly Berries Ilex crenata 'Schwoebel' (Upright Japanese Holly)

Here is 'Schwobel' Upright Holly. The berries become a deep purplish-black during the winter months, but note that they are not edible.

All Season Planter

The All-Season planter is on its second winter and doing nicely. On the really cold nights I cover it up with a protective cloth and water it beforehand. We have had a few nights going down into the teens, which the Lemon Cypress does not care for, but I do love its color!

Welcoming Committee

As always, the welcoming committee is here with a warm cup of cocoa, tea or beverage of your choice!...

Hellebore 'Shooting Star' (Lenten Rose)

and the Hellebores (Lenten Rose) are blooming away despite the cold and snow! I do enjoy how Hellebore 'Shooting Star' blooms throughout January and into March with its colorful bracts, with blooms of other varieties of Hellebore to follow.

Hellebore 'Shooting Star' 

As the winter months move along, the indoor garden is doing well with the constant blooms of African Violet and Thanksgiving Cactus. All I do is remove the spent blooms, which pushes energy back into the plant... 

Indoor Garden

and the Thanksgiving Cactus has no idea what season it is, as it just keeps on blooming!  

Indoor Garden

I must admit that my collection of plants has grown immensely throughout the writing of my new book, The Houseplant Guide: How to Easily Select & Maintain Indoor Plants, which just reached one month old! As everyone knows, I refuse to write about a plant unless I have grown it myself or know someone who did! I am also now into rare plants and have had fun growing them, and hubby is supportive, which is a good thing!

Indoor Garden

As I sit near the windowsill, the snow covered garden can be seen from the warm indoors, and life is good.

Indoor Garden

As our stroll through the garden both outdoors and in reaches its end, I hope that you take in a little bit of the garden each day. I know I do and it brings well-being and joy. 

Thank you for Visiting!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my February garden. I so appreciate you being here, look forward to your comments and enjoy seeing what you have growing in your garden. Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who had hosted Foliage Follow-Up, a meme I will continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday, Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at Jaipur Garden. 

MORE NEWS:  A Guide to Northeastern Gardening has been selected as one of the top 100 gardening blogs of 2025...Thank you for including me! 

Other Places to Find Me:

You can visit my Author Page to learn more about and Purchase my Books and be sure to check out my newly published book, The Houseplant Guide: How to Easily Select & Maintain Indoor Plants, which just turned one month old! 

Check out my newsletter Northeastern Gardening News for monthly updates all to do with gardening! It's free and all you need to do is subscribe!

Find me on Instagram at Northeastern Gardening and Facebook at A Guide to Northeastern Gardening Blog & Author Page 

Until we Meet Again...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2025. All rights reserved.