Our Winter Garden: As New England gardeners we plan for "winter interest in the garden", but at times Mother Nature adds a deep blanket of white snow

The snow was falling at a rapid rate on Wednesday.

The Adirondack chairs, backed by the witch hazel, Hamamelis, 'Arnold Promise', measure the deepening snow. The chairs are barely visible by the time the snow stops later in the day.

This is the"Italian Garden". During the nor'easter the boxwood become fully covered, their forms hard to find at the end of the storm. Well, at least I understand there was snow in Tuscany and Umbria this winter, so perhaps the gardens there looked similar in recent weeks!

The snow stops. The sun returns. Time to dig out!

A path is shoveled to the garden and we carefully free the boxwood from the snow.

The sun sparkles on the fresh snow.

The summer view (sensa snow) of the Italian Garden. This garden was inspired by a garden in Rome. There is an April 2010 blog posting on the garden at the Villa Aurelia, where our inspiration was created.

A few days after the storm we see the long shadows of winter.

In our back mixed border garden we have a 60" long stone wall , and a retaining wall nearer the house of equal length. At the summer solstice , at noon, the shadow of our house falls at the retaining wall. At the winter solstice, at noon, the shadows reach all the way to the other wall.

Sweetbay Magnolia , magnolia virginiana

A January sunset over our New Hampshire garden;

the Italian garden and petite allee.

A Maxfield Parrish sky over our garden!

The painter Maxfield Parrish , lived, painted and gardened in Plainfield, NH. He was part of what is known as the Cornish Colony, which included a talented group of painters, sculptors, authors and the like. A visit to NH should include a trip to Plainfield and to the St. Gaudens

Historic site, here one can visit the sculpture studio and garden of August St.Gaudens

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Well, it is time to head into our kitchen to prepare something warm and delicious for dinner.

Chicken under a brick

Risotto with wild mushrooms and fresh thyme (or rosemary?)

Arugula salad with clementine slices

maybe a few roasted carrots?

A glass of wine, Italian of course!

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Note: If in NYC, there is the mural of Old King Cole by Maxfield Parrish. It is in the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel.

If you can, find a seat at the bar where you can not only enjoy the mural and also the best martini in NYC!