Garden Photo of the Day

Happy New Year!! 2014

Photo/Illustration: All photos courtesy of Joy Cullen

Here’s to new beginnings and a 2014 that surpasses 2013 in every way. Thanks, Joy Cullen (AKA ToweringPines), for sending in these gorgeous photos that are perfect for ringing in a new year.

Joy says, “We just had a severe winter ice storm on north shore of Lake Ontario. Lots of tree damage and people without power for days. That part was not nice but it has been very beautiful. The sun shining on ice-coated trees and shrubs is incredible. I always avoid cutting back a lot of perennials in fall and it sure has paid off this year. ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum is always good in winter. This kind of storm is very rare here. Usually freezing rain is followed by mild weather and the ice melts off before you can get your camera out.”

Gorgeous, Joy! Thanks for braving the elements for us!

——Winter is the perfect time to take a photographic stroll through the photos you took in your garden last year and send some in to me! [email protected]….. Thanks!

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Comments

  1. flowerladydi 01/01/2014

    So pretty Joy!,,,, I hope the ice did not cause too many problems for you,, and hopefully power is restored for all,,,, but it is soooo pretty!,,,, LOVE the first photo with the Chamaecyparis and the back lighting from the sun,,,, beautiful!!!
    Nature is amazing,,,, and thank you for braving the cold to get those fabulous shots!!

    Happy New Year to all!

  2. wGardens 01/01/2014

    Love the lighting on the first photo, especially. Hope you did not endure too much damage.

    Happy New Year, everyone. Hope you all enjoy the day. May 2014 bring you wonderful gardening adventures!

  3. tractor1 01/01/2014

    Ice storms make for terrific photo ops, and this is a great one... Thank you, Joy.

  4. MizScarlet 01/01/2014

    I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sent in pictures in 2013. I don't often have the opportunity of commenting at a time when others may see. I usually view the GPOD late at night. I've seen some outstanding landscapes that I'd love to copy. Since I can't copy them, I do love viewing them. Thank you all for a year of beauty in the outdoors.

  5. Wife_Mother_Gardener 01/01/2014

    That first photo is just stunning! I hope your garden survived ok. Happy New Year!!

  6. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 01/01/2014

    Happy New Year! Such beautiful photos. Ice storms always stand out in my memory because of their beautiful, yet terribly damaging effects. Here's hoping everyone has power now for the new year.

  7. tractor1 01/01/2014

    Everyone have a Happy & Healthy New Year!

  8. janeeliz 01/01/2014

    Beautiful photos, Joy! The first one is especially stunning! It's amazing to see your grasses , ice-encrusted, yet still standing so straight . We also had recent ice storms in Maine , several hundred still without power-down from many thousands. We were lucky to be only experiencing the incredible beauty it brought.

  9. tootsmcG 01/01/2014

    What a fine way to start a new year! Loved all your photos, Joy, but especially loved the last one I viewed with the blue skies background. The colors, sparkley ice traceries, and shadows on the snow all combined to make me feel as though I walked out my own back door! Such a treat!

  10. tootsmcG 01/01/2014

    What a fine way to start a new year! Loved all your photos, Joy, but especially loved the last one I viewed with the blue skies background. The colors, sparkley ice traceries, and shadows on the snow all combined to make me feel as though I walked out my own back door! Such a treat!

  11. janeeliz 01/01/2014

    Whoops! How could I forget to wish you ALL a very Happy 2014?! I thoroughly enjoy the company and good spirit of your gardening conversations as well as the beautiful pictures of so many clearly loved and varied gardens! Unfortunately I am usually checking in late at night so am kind of out of the loop. May the BEAUTY of nature and the JOY of gardening bring you happiness and good health in the New Year!

  12. user-7006902 01/01/2014

    Beautiful photos (and landscape)! We were part of that ice storm in Clayton, NY but thankfully did not lose power. All the surrounding areas, A-Bay, Cape Vincent, etc. did. We traveled to Syracuse for Christmas Eve and the sun lit up our icy landscape - I thought, damn, what a lost photo opportunity! Your garden looks elegant and not stressed at all with the ice - beautiful, sweeping views. I was worried about my young White Pine and lost a limb on one of my Amur Maples but everything bounced back quite nicely!

  13. kershawgirl 01/01/2014

    I hope we do not get something like that this year because it really does damage everything with the weight of the ice being so much more than the trees and shrubs can manage. It really looks frightening, errie, and beautiful all at the same time. And when it is melting, all you can hear is drip, groan, creak, from the limbs snapping from the weight! Take care and Happy New Year!

  14. greengenes 01/01/2014

    Brrrrr... But beautiful! So sorry to hear though of the power outage! If I lived there I think I would be out there with blow torches on my plants! Well I hope everything will be okay. Sometimes plants seem to bounce back after a year of new growth. Over here in western Washington, seattle area, we are hurting for snow. We are hoping for some rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains! I thought I would never be wishing for rain..But this is a new year and we have a lot ahead of us all. I want to thank the staff at fine gardening for bringing us this source and I want to wish all of you gardeners a wonderful new year!

  15. annek 01/01/2014

    Such perfect photos for a New Years' Day. All of them are beautiful, but the first is magical. The lighting, the soft tones....perfection. Hope the ice storm didn't present too many problems.

    Happy New Year to everyone!

  16. cwheat000 01/01/2014

    Magical beauty. Happy New Year!

  17. toweringpines 01/01/2014

    Thanks for all the positive comments.
    I had very little storm damage, just a few branches down. Mother nature's pruning. It is amazing how resilient trees & shrubs are. Trees that were bent right over with weight of ice are now standing back straight as always.
    We had no wind which would have caused a lot more damage.
    Like all others I enjoy GPOD each morning and want to thank Michelle for providing this treat for us.
    This is my first post and I would encourage others to take the plunge.
    Happy New Year to all .

  18. Meelianthus 01/01/2014

    Thank you for sharing all of those wonderful pictures Joy. As treacherous as ice can be it really has a beauty all it's own. We don't really get ice storms here in Washington state, nor a lot of snow, however right now we are just hoping for rain as it has been awhile,and snow in the mountains, or we won't have water next summer for our gardens!
    HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and wishes for a wonderful gardening year - and lots of pictures into Michelle.

  19. GrannyMay 01/01/2014

    Just echoing everyone else this morning - especially love the first photo! And they are all beautiful. Thank you for sharing, Joy.

  20. User avater
    meander_michaele 01/01/2014

    Joy, your stunning pictures are the very definition of winter wonderland. I am particularly struck by the second one down...seeing what looks like each individual needle encased in a coating of ice...quite fascinating. So glad that your plant material escaped serious damage.
    Wishing everyone a wonderful 2014 and continued gardening bliss.

  21. janetsfolly 01/01/2014

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, all you merry gardeners! I've just spent the morning catching up on GPOD with this spectacular post as the grande finale. Wow. I'm just continually blown away by the gardening and photographic talents of this group. Thank you so much, Michelle, for bringing all this beauty right to my couch! And Joy, joy did you bring, particularly that first shot. Nature's beauty is a gift to the eye and the soul...captured and shared, perfect. Thank you!

  22. kgamel 01/01/2014

    Beautiful!

  23. CJgardens 01/01/2014

    Joy, thank you for the snow & ice photos. I agree with the others that the first is exceptional. I live in Wisconsin and I think we start to take for granted the beauty of snow, frost, and ice. I've been fortunate that the bad storms have gone north and south of us. We are dealing with wind chills of minus 20 - 30 degrees just going to stay inside and start to plan for next years gardens.

    Happy New Year all! Sharing this blog has been a joy and I am looking forward to viewing many more beautiful gardens.
    Thank you, Michelle, for all you do. You'll do a great job at the gardening conference.
    Carol Jean

  24. TeriCA 01/01/2014

    Happy New Year everyone!! I saw the first photo and couldn't resist the others!! Stunning pictures! Thanks for sharing...

  25. perenniallycrazy 01/02/2014

    Simply enchanting! There are only a few things as alluring this season than winter white. Thanks for braving the elements to share these photos with us Joy.

    A HAPPY NEW YEAR to each and everyone! Wishing you all a fabulous gardening year.

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