Garden "Bones"

This pictures, one of the many I took in Ohio on our holiday trip, shows the clear importance of the "bones" of a garden design, especially in Winter.

The trellis, tree and evergreens provide the sense of the garden, even when it is deep in snow. I haven't had to think about this very much here in Los Angeles, but the same thoughts apply even when your garden never really goes to sleep. Even with the various dormant plants around the garden at this time of year, I think it looks more alive and green than it ever does in Summer. The structure of the deciduous trees is beautiful in a totally different way than the leaf-covered structures of the Spring and Summer, even though that the very same tree.