Category Archives: The Winter Garden

How to Trim a Golden String / Thread Cypress into a Pyramid

Posted on March 10, 2016 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

The pair of Golden String / Thread (sometimes called Mop) Cypress, seen in the two cover photos for this blog post, that are major focal points in my back garden, did not always have pyramidal shapes. The natural growth habit … Continue reading →

Posted in Bushes, Shrubs, Trees, Garden Design Principles, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden, The Winter Garden | 3 Comments

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at Whimsey Hill House… A look at some of my 2015 Holiday Decorations

Posted on December 14, 2015 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Christmas will soon be here, and this year I decided to do things a bit differently. A while back I was wandering through the holiday shop of a local garden center, and found three flocked artificial fern fronds that caught … Continue reading →

Posted in CHRISTMAS / Easter, The Winter Garden | 10 Comments

It’s Easy to Decorate an artificial Christmas Wreath

Posted on November 29, 2015 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Have you ever gone into one of those craft/hobby stores, the gift shop in your local garden center, or the holiday decorating department at an upscale store and saw the most beautiful Christmas wreaths, and wanted one, but the pricing … Continue reading →

Posted in CHRISTMAS / Easter, The Winter Garden | 4 Comments

How to make a Pine Cone Christmas Wreath

Posted on October 29, 2015 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

The holiday period will soon be upon us, so how about making a pine cone wreath to celebrate the season. A pine cone wreath can be hung on a door, placed flat on a dining room table or buffet as … Continue reading →

Posted in CHRISTMAS / Easter, How-to, The Winter Garden | 12 Comments

A Garden Tour of My Property. It might be Spring, but You should be thinking Winter Interest when Planning your Garden

Posted on April 12, 2014 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

After getting over a Winter here in upstate New York that was snowier and colder than recent years past, everyone I know is soo glad it’s finally getting warmer and signs of Spring are showing up. All the garden folk … Continue reading →

Posted in Bushes, Shrubs, Trees, Fred's Garden at Whimsey Hill House, Garden Design Principles, The Spring Garden, The Winter Garden | 2 Comments

Thirteen Ideas for Decorating your Country Garden

Posted on July 20, 2013 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Recently a reader commented, lamenting about when she placed garden decorations on their country property, something just didn’t seem right. After that I started thinking about all the different things that say farm, rural, and country living style to me. … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Design Principles, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden, The Summer Garden, The Winter Garden | 2 Comments

Some ideas about using Garden Ornaments, they add that Finishing Touch to a Garden

Posted on June 29, 2013 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Over the years I’ve learned a lot about gardening by going on garden tours, and analyzing what I was looking at. I figured out mass versus specimen planting, noticed and discovered that plants had different shaped leaves, realized a garden … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Design Principles, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden, The Winter Garden | 8 Comments

Planting a Garden Room on Your Property

Posted on February 17, 2013 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

The idea of dividing the outdoor space around your home into what the horticultural world is calling rooms has really been around for hundreds, maybe thousands of years; even though it seems to be a trendy and new concept. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Design Principles, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden, The Summer Garden, The Winter Garden | 5 Comments

Design a Rock Garden with Different sizes of Stones

Posted on June 28, 2012 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

When I moved into my home in 1990, I was left with a large amount of crushed stone (4 to 5 inches deep), set on top of many feet of sand that surrounds my house. It was probably some kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Fred's Garden at Whimsey Hill House, Garden Design Principles, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden, The Summer Garden, The Winter Garden | Leave a comment

It’s Easy to Grow PUSSYWILLOWS

Posted on February 15, 2012 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Over the years both my parents and I have had pussywillow trees at our houses. Our pussywillows came to us, via my Mother’s sister Mary’s garden. Aunt Mary, garden maven that she was, most likely started her own tree from … Continue reading →

Posted in Bushes, Shrubs, Trees, The Spring Garden, The Winter Garden | 18 Comments