Early Snowfall Puts Accent On Fall Colors

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Early snowfalls are magical to many of us, and maddening to others, but they often bring surprising sights in the garden.

When the first snow fell a few weeks ago and what was predicted to be a dusting on grassy surfaces turned into a few thick inches that lasted several days, it not only caught many people, but also lots of growing things off guard. Which is why there were cabbages buried in the fluffy stuff and pumpkins posed on porches for Thanksgiving that ended up looking like snowman heads instead of harvest symbols.

Flowers that hang on to bloom into the late fall - like the many shrub roses that take a break in the summer then return for an autumn encore - are already a pretty surprise alongside the oranges, yellows, maroons, and umbers of fall colors. But I found it particularly pleasant to come upon a perky pink rose blooming against a snowy shrub on a frigid morning weeks before winter had officially begun.

Roses in winter; perhaps the garden's most pleasant way to remind you that summer is never really too far away.