Evergreen to Eversnow to Spring Garden?

Winter Topiary Garden from The Garden in Winter
 by Rosemary Verey

If you are beginning to lose enthusiasm for the world of white, dreaming about your spring garden might inspire you to action. As a starting point, it's always a fine idea to take notes of what you appreciate in the winter landscape as a measure of recording for next year- what works in terms of winter green that can bear snow loads well or has colorful bark or dramatic silhouettes? The snow is likely now disguising any visual lacunae but if you can reach back and recall any early winter vagaries that you want to rework that is worthwhile. Some venerable varieties we trust for winter interest include:

Paperwhite Birch Betula papyrifera (our state's tree)
Paperbark Maple Acer griseum   (fabulous cinnamon bark)
Pagoda Tree Cornus alternifolia (lovely form with branching at each branch terminus - hence its botanical name)
Grey Owl Juniper Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl' (holds green thru winter with flexible boughs)
Arctic Fire Dogwood Cornus sericea  'Arctic Fire' (bright red stems. Cull 1/3 each spring to retain vibrancy)
Winter Red Winterberry Ilex verticillata "Winter Red' (scads of bright red berries for holiday decorating and nourishing birds)

Now to turn to some hardy  plants that you wish you had awakening for Spring:

White Redbud Cercis canadensis  'Alba' (early white flowered clusters along branches precede leaves)
Cornell Pink Azalea Azalea mucronulatum  'Cornell Pink' (with clear pink flowers, first azalea to bloom)
Mayflower Viburnum Viburnum carlesii (with intoxicating fragrance and resistance to the viburnum beetle, site near an entrance)
White Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus (Native multi-stem tree or large shrub with lush sweeps of fragrant flowers in spring that evolve into blue fruits for birds)

Consider calling on a Landscape Architect for transformative help--after all that is what we love to do! :)