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Our Winter Gardens

Let’s all make a New Year’s Resolution to visit an arboretum or botanical garden during the next few months while it is winter. Yes, most botanical gardens and arboretums are open to visitors in the winter. You laughingly say, “don’t be ridiculous, it is cold and snowing. And, what could we see anyway?” No, it is not silly, as long as the roads are safe, bundle up and take a walk.

There is a lot to see and things to learn. For instance, my friend Barbara from Levittown and I came home from a winter walk with more information about different type of tree and shrub seed distribution methods. But that wasn’t all we noticed.

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Bushes in the snow (Photos by Josephine Borut)

The structure—what is otherwise known as the bones of any garden—is never more strikingly obvious as when silhouetted in white. It can be trees, shrubs, stone outcroppings, a pond, a fountain, fences, pathways or anything that adds definition to your outdoor space. A garden that has good structure looks interesting throughout the year and adds distinctness to your space.

There are many different types of gardens and collections of plants to see when visiting an arboretum such as Planting Fields, Bailey Arboretum or Old Westbury Gardens in Nassau County or Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Suffolk County or The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Each arboretum or botanical garden was developed within the context of the geography of the site, the views, and the surrounding environment. Therefore, each has its own famous special collection, e.g. an azalea walk, a conifer garden, a rose garden, cherry tree walk, or a Japanese garden. Each offers an exclusive study of the concept of layout, size, shape and other garden structure and design ideas.

Garden structure is often referred to as “the bones” of the garden because you can easily see the silhouettes of the plants and trees, the curves and paths created by the borders and the structural elements that project the spirit of your own special space.

By structural elements, I mean the spatial design which can include the major feature such as a fountain, an arbor, a group of trees, a shed or garden area dedicated to one concept or plant. Walking through the woods and then glimpsing a waterfowl land on a lake would be an extreme example of structural element but to bring it the level of a home garden, a bench under a group of trees that invites visitors to sit and enjoy view would be an achievable example of a structural element.

When you walk through large, planned arboretums and botanical gardens in the quiet and starkness of wintertime, you can see concepts of garden planning and design much more clearly. The serenity will let your mind seek to apply similar ideas for your own garden. Plants and shrubs that stand up well to our winters will be very noticeable and will give you food for thought.

The Planting Fields in the winter
The Planting Fields in the winter

So, winter is the time to step outside and walk around your own property to look directly at your garden when there is nothing to mask problem areas. Winter is a very good time to see where additions or changes can improve and enliven your own backyard and to start planning for the upcoming season. Make a list of plants that caught your interest, then see if its requirements can be met someplace in your yard that will improve the overall bones of your garden. One of the greatest enjoyments of gardening is planning additions and improvements. It can enrich your outdoor experience. Enjoy your winter garden.

Partial listing of local gardens:
Planting Fields Arboretum, 400 acres at 1395 Planting Fields Rd., Oyster Bay, NY 11771
New York Botanical Garden, 240 acres at 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10458
Bayard Cutting Arboretum, 440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY 11739
Bailey Arboretum, 42 acres at 194 Bayville Rd., Locust Valley, NY 11560
Old Westbury Gardens, 200 acres at 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury, NY 11568
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 52 acres at 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225
Clark Garden, 12 acres at 193 I.U. Willets Rd., Albertson, NY 11507

Josephine Borut is currently on the board of directors of the Long Island Horticultural Society and was a board member of the Long Island Rose Society in the past. She is also a member of The American Rose Society. The Long Island Horticultural Society meets on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. The next meeting is on Jan. 24 and will be held in the Hay Barn. The speaker is Vincent A. Simeone a horticulturist and the garden director at Planting Fields Arboretum. His topic will be “Creating Stunning Gardens for Beginners” from his New York and New Jersey Garden Guide book series. For more information, go to www.lihort.org.