I recently spent a part of an afternoon at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, in Boylston, Massachusetts, which is a short 15-minute drive from my home. It’s always an inspiring place to visit, regardless of the season. In November they opened the second of two indoor winter plant spaces, called the Limonaia (Lemon House), primarily containing their Citrus and Camellia collections. The Orangerie is the original indoor plant wing, which is full of gorgeous tropical plants, including orange trees, of course. These two wings are delightful places to spend a cold winter day, where you can imagine yourself in a more southerly clime.

The outdoor spaces are still beautiful during winter, though. The walkway that meanders along the perimeter of the Lawn Garden has been cleared of snow, so I took a stroll down this path for some fresh air and photos. There are several other garden areas that aren’t currently accessible, but I plan to return during the spring or summer and write about these in a future post.

This is the new Winter Garden, situated between the Orangerie (building wing in background), and the Limonaia. An unusually deep snow cover hides most of the plantings.

View from the Limonaia toward the Winter Garden

One of several seating nooks in the Orangerie

Path along the perimeter of the Lawn Garden

Pergolas on the south side of the Lawn Garden

View toward the botanic garden buildings, including an old farm house with staff offices

Colorful winter scenery

For more information on Tower Hill Botanic Garden, visit http://www.towerhillbg.org/

Photos by Alice Webb