Plants on My Winter House Terraces

May 15, 2026

My Winter House terraces are looking so lush and beautiful.

This time of year, I always display a variety of specimens around my home - potted plants, small evergreens, and even some trailing ground covers that work well as underplantings in ornamental vessels. They all look wonderful next to the terrace parterres, or formal geometric gardens - some planted with herbs and flowering plants, and some planted in tiers of bold green boxwood and golden barberry. This week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew spruced the terraces up with fresh plants and amended the beds with soil and food.

Here are some photos.

: When well-maintained, terrace parterres are so stunning. I am proud of how well these have developed through the years. Parterres are designed as geometric symmetrical beds bordered by low, groomed hedges. In the center is one of my giant sugar pots now used as a fire pit.

: It’s always fun to visit local nurseries and select plants for one’s own gardens and terrace containers. Neighborhood shops sell what grows best in the area and experts on staff are there to answer any questions. I enjoy bringing home different plants for my spring and summer displays. These are all small Japanese holly shrubs.

: Planting the urns outside my Winter House is already underway. Every urn has a drainage hole at the bottom. Matthew places a layer of weed cloth first to protect the vessel itself. This will also make it easier to remove the plant next autumn, when it is put back in the greenhouse for the cold season. The container is filled two-thirds of the way up with a good quality potting soil.

: This year, I am planting three of this interesting plant – Abies koreana ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker.’ This is a dwarf, evergreen conifer that develops into a small, broadly pyramidal tree.

: It has short, stubby branches with flat, curved silvery blue and white needles and an incredibly slow growth rate.

: I use Miracle-Gro Organic Outdoor Potting Mix. It contains a quick-release natural fertilizer that feeds plants for up to two months.

: It looks great planted in this vessel, but it would look even better underplanted with trailing ground covers. Don’t be afraid to mix and match plants in a single container.

: Matthew adds Helichrysum and Dichondra, both of which have trailing growth habits that I often use as underplantings for potted specimens.

: These plants are located at the bottom of my stairs where I can see them every day. They will grow wonderfully through the season.

: I also have pairs of stone planters on the steps and landings of the terrace parterres. Here is another one being prepped for planting.

: I brought home several small Japanese holly shrubs, Ilex crenata, that are just perfect for these urns.

: Ilex crenata is an evergreen shrub or small tree prized for its soft, glossy, dark green foliage.

: The lower parterres are planted with herbs. The crew added some thyme and rosemary to fill in any bare spots.

: I use Miracle-Gro Organic Raised Bed & Garden Soil in all my raised beds at the farm. It is filled with nutrients.

: Here, soil is added to all these beds. I also grow catmint, a perennial herb in the mint family, used for culinary and ornamental purposes.

: Catmint forms compact, mounded clumps with gray-green foliage and lavender-blue flowers.

: It is important to add organic soil mix to garden beds each year as a way to refresh and maintain the garden soil health. Over time, soil settles, compacts, and loses nutrients, especially after a busy growing season. I feed and amend the soil often and it always pays off!

: The boxwood hedges and shrubs are freshly groomed. And don’t worry, as the weeks progress, the bold green of the boxwood will return.

: On the upper parterres, I grow boxwood and golden barberry, Berberis thunbergii. It is a deciduous shrub that is compact, adaptable, very hardy and shows off striking small, golden yellow oblong leaves. Golden barberry takes on its brightest coloring in full sun.