6 on Saturday – 03JAN2026

Chris Mousseau

Snow squalls off Lake Ontario made for treacherous driving New Year’s Eve and left another three or four inches (7 – 10 cms) of fluffy powder on the ground for a very chilly but sunny New Year’s Day – shoveling wasn’t too difficult! I’m joining Jim at Garden Ruminations today for my first Six on Saturday of 2026. There’s a lot of snow involved, of course, including the little stream in the top photo that appears in my back field when the water table is high enough or the ground frozen enough to prevent seepage. It was looking quite pretty on New Year’s Day, with high snowbanks and what seemed to be individual snowflakes clinging to frozen grass blades sticking up through the water:

One of the dead ash trees in the tree line beside the driveway came down in the high winds last week. Happily it’s also in the back of the property and this part of the driveway isn’t used by cars anymore.

Also on the driveway, closer to the street, a large coyote left a track not too long before I (in my boots) was up and about. The coyotes have been numerous and quite beautiful this past year – I’ll post some shots from my trail cam next week.

I don’t do much cutting back of perennial stalks in the fall. Birds will eat the seeds all winter of course, and I love the little snow hats the coneflowers and Rudbeckia sport.

Even the long dead flat flower clusters of Queen Anne’s Lace – Daucus carota – look great after a snow fall…

I have four rose bushes but only one provides decent looking hips – the pink Kordes Cinderella. I’ve been thinking about getting a Rugosa, mainly for the hips…this may be the year… Have a great weekend everyone!

20 Comments

  1. Your coyote would like to meet my bunnies, I think. I used to see them all the time when I lived in San Diego, and used to go horseback riding at night sometimes. We got pretty good at calling to them and having them answer back. Wonder what we were saying… I am also a fan of the snow hats!

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    1. Coyotes seem to be well fed by our local rabbits, happy to say, although I occasionally feel a bit sorry for them (the rabbits) in Winter, cuddling under shrubs for warmth…And then I spot the nibbled tips of shrubs that won’t flower in spring…

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  4. I’m glad I didn’t add any photos of my garden with snow this morning, because I would have looked ridiculous compared to the amount you naturally have in Canada… It’s much prettier there, by the way! My favorite photo of yours is the one of Queen Anne’s Lace, well done!

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  5. Nice to see a post by you. Fluffy snow is the best…looks so beautiful on the numerous Hollies. …..we’ve had several inches. The Ash will make great firewood. Snowcaps on plants are pretty decorations. We’ve had a Deer, lying near a tree. I went out to check if it was OK..it got up, snorted, ran a little ways, then came back. Two Coyotes recently & a Cooper’s Hawk, on a small Pussy Willow, only 24′ from the house. Deer tracks in the front yard this am.

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  6. The first photo of the stream is beautiful, although I’m quite taken with the little snow ‘caps’ on the plants as well. Our coyotes are around, but not so easily tracked, especially since we’ve had little rain, and there’s no mud to record their passing. What’s the purpose of the red stake? I certainly hope it’s marking the trail or a specific ‘something,’ and isn’t a snow gauge!

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  8. The individual snowflakes in the grass look like tiny white flowers. Although white is my favorite color, snow looks scary. It does not snow here, but if it did, I would probably stay inside. I know I would not drive in it.

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