10 Life-Hacks for Surviving Winter in New England

Bleak, Arctic, Brutal—Those are just some of the words used to describe winters in New England. After the holiday décor gets wrapped up, we enter into a period of mystery weather which can range from sunny, 55 degree days to blizzard conditions dumping up to three feet of snow followed by miserable winds and ice. Our catchphrase does seem most accurate during winter: “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.”

Winter in New England is unpredictable, to say the least. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite Winter Hacks, which just may come in handy if you’re snowed in, short of a shovel, lost power, looking to save on heating costs, or just plain looking to impress with your MacGyver-like skills.

Fall Landscaping and Decorating Ideas

Autumn seems to be a favorite season for most New Englanders, and it’s no wonder why! The changing colors, harvest décor, warm days and cool nights exude a sense of magic and whimsy that are simply infectious. New England is known for many of its autumn traditions, such as apple picking, pumpkin picking, hay rides, warm cider and fresh cider doughnuts. It’s also a wonderful time of the year to get creative with landscaping and outdoor decorations!

Shrub Blog Series - Part Six - Specimen Plants

Amongst your ground covers, borders, etc., you will undoubtedly want a solo planting that stands out. Specimen plants are your centerpieces; they are showy, bold, striking, and colorful. There are a large variety of trees which will serve the purpose of a focal point nicely, and there are a number of extraordinary flowering plants which will do the same. Narrowing down our top picks was quite difficult as there are so many great options. Ultimately you should decide based on your landscape vision and the amount of desired maintenance.

Shrub Blog Series - Part Five - Ground Cover Plantings

Ground cover plantings are a great solution to tricky areas in your yard such as slopes and shady spots. They are often low maintenance options that can contend with foot traffic, tough soil conditions, or provide a focal point without too much effort. Ground cover plants tend to creep or clump; they crowd out weeds and create an expanse of lush foliage. It is good to determine whether or not a particular species is considered invasive in your area as these types of plants can grow and spread quickly unless controlled by processes such as edging and deadheading. It is always recommended you work with your local nursery on selections to understand what maintenance may be required.

How Snowflakes Form

Love it or hate it, snow is a major part of New England winters. To make matters more exciting, no two storms seem to be alike. This is partially because of the consistency of snow, which is determined by a series of atmospheric factors such as temperature, wind, dew point, humidity, etc. This creates a wide range of probabilities that can be tricky to predict. The formation of a snowflake is caused by a chemical reaction known as crystallization. Did you know that snowflakes are actually classified as minerals? How cool is that?

Close up of snow crystals forming. Photographer: Alexey Kljatov.

Shrub Blog Series - Part Four - Border Plantings and Edging

Whether for appearance or functionality, there are a variety of beautiful plantings you can use to edge your beds. Border plantings not only distinguish the edges of your flower and/or mulch beds, but they can help to keep your beds from eroding away due to the elements, and keep specimen plantings from overgrowing their boundaries. There is definitely intersection between border plantings and foundation plantings, so we will focus on some of the more unique choices in part four of our shrub series. Oftentimes you will want to pair plantings to create a variegated look; a common pairing is that of herbs.

Fall Foliage: Why Do Leaves Change Color?

New England is known for its exquisite show of color during the autumn season. “Leaf peepers” come from all over the globe just to witness the phenomenon, and it’s no wonder as there are only five regions in the world to experience the changing of the leaves. We are still about 3-4 weeks out from forecasted peak foliage, but the extremities of trees are already beginning to turn shades of red, orange and gold. But what causes this beautiful display?