Frost and Snow

We do not cut down all the perennials in late autumn but leave many of them until the spring.

This provides several benefits to the garden and environment.

Birds eat the seeds from many plants including echinacea and phlomis.

Verbena bonariensis seed heads with a touch of frost

The “dead” flower stalk can help protect the new shoots that emerge in the spring before all the cold weather has passed. It also provides a shelter for many insects to spend the winter including ladybirds.

A touch of frost on the Stipa gigantea

The garden keeps height and structure through the winter to compliment the evergreen shrubs and spring bulbs as they start to appear.

snow on the dogwood (Cornus alba)

A touch of frost or a covering of snow makes for a wonderful addition to the garden in winter.

Verbena bonariensis in the snow

Sedum spectabile under the snow

Being in the middle of England we escaped the worst of the snow of the last few days, but we may get more later on!