December posts, with their focus on holiday festivity and decorations, preempt any other topic. So I’m thrilled for the first blog of the New Year to capture the three to four December snow episodes that cast each day in a magical dusting of white; just enough to romantically call this a “White Christmas” but not an inconvenient blizzard.

After perusing these images, you may understand why I love these landscape scenes as much as Summer in full swing. The reasons are many, but two points lead the list…reading the “bones” of a garden, those architectural design elements that get lost in leaves and flowers. And enjoying the vision of trees in their barren state, when you can enjoy their ever-important skeletal grace…which becomes a distinctive palette when covered in snow. Truly, and never more than at formal Parterre, you can see the details play out; no guesswork here. And also, no surprise that designing with evergreens is an important decision.

My first sight of winter’s best is from my office studio, looking down upon the southern-facing gardens. This is when the excitement begins, with these initial dramatic views! In the main garden, the Fountain Garden, entered through the gates (feature image), is a collection of four different plants…euonymus, boxwood, cotoneaster, and yew. All pruned into shapes awaiting their Diva moments in the winter.

The height of the trees is truly dramatic unto itself; many are European little leafed Lindens that are monumental, ever more so each year! Many of them are in the Woodland Garden to the south of the Green and White Garden, where the Orangerie resides.

The variety of tree plays an important role also…here, four matched ‘Hally Jolivette’ cherries serve as the first layer, then a pair of evergreen Chamaecyparis, with the third impactful level being the Lindens. How distinguished is each variety of tree in its own standout way! You almost don’t miss the leaves.

In the back courtyard, within the half circle of the 80′ Rose Chain, our one weeping Beech shows off in all its glory.

Design elements of the French Normandy manor house play up the shrubs, branches, and landscape architecture of the three acres.

And finally, French-inspired lattice work, echoing the curves of the house’s windows, invites peeks into the Cutting Garden.

Too special not to share…with snow still dusting the ground (and sand), a red hot sunset creates a sharp contrast to the winter’s cold (can you read the very subtle sloped heart on the left side of the big cloud…or is it just the romantic in me?)

May your blessings and health be bountiful in this New Year.