Apparently this year is the least snowy winter since 1998 and with the unseasonal weather there are unexpected sights to be seen in the garden. So we are told by Kathy Purdy writing in her Cold Climate Gardening blog. Coral bells, lungwort and foxglove are still thriving and other signs of life that should not be visible at this time of the year. Her article includes some great pictures that you will want to see.

According to the National Weather Service, it?s the least snowy beginning to winter that we?ve had since 1998. We?ve set also some record highs in the last few weeks. Snow can be hit or miss in December but usually the ground is frozen. It was frozen earlier in the month, but right now it?s not, and I spent a couple of hours yesterday weeding. Weeding in December. Such things have happened before.
The foliage of coral bells, lungwort, and foxglove all look lovely and unblemished, but they are all a matte green. The moss, on the other hand?and there is a lot of it in the woods?positively glows. I feast my eyes on it as I trample around our land, making the paths a bit easier to traverse by clipping here and lopping there.

See more at Cold Climate Gardening
Image source: Tejvan Pettinger