The Garden In Winter

The garden in winter lies dormant, but more active than one might initially perceive. There is always some activity occurring in the garden. Last night we had a little snow. It provided a nice backdrop for my daily walk around my garden. My daily jaunts around the yard tell me many things – who has come to visit, what plants may need attention, how my past garden constructions have held up, and what I might plan for the coming gardening season.

Sometimes I have a surprise in the garden. This morning, there were little tracks in the snow. I cannot identify them. We have a fox in the neighborhood, but they almost seem to be too small. We have a coyote as well, but his tracks would definitely be larger. They are probably just from a stray cat.

A few weeks ago, I noticed I had an unwanted visitor. Shortly before Christmas, someone climbed the hill at the edge of the property and cut down one of our green giant arborvitae trees. No doubt they did so in order to take it home as a Christmas tree. It was disappointing. We planted the tree about three years ago. It had been growing nicely. The only positive thing is that they left one branch growing from the base and this might grow into a new tree.

I regularly note the progress of plants in winter. If trees are not well, extreme temperatures will often kill them. This is generally visible in the suppleness of the branches, the lack of any type of bud or a change in color.

I planted this coral bark Japanese maple last summer. It seems to be doing well. It should grow into a beautiful tree in the winter landscape.

This small tree is a red pine. I purchased it as a seedling, barely 6 inches tall, from the county extension office. I planted it in 2022. It may not look like much, but it is thriving.

We have planted a lot of trees, many of which have started out small. The seedlings in the left photo were planted in the fall of 2023. They were about 6 inches when planted. Most have more than doubled in size. They are green giant arborvitae trees that will grow together to form a hedge. They will form another line of trees in front of the earlier planted arborvitae trees. The trees on the right were planted in the spring of 2019. They were bout 18 inches tall when planted and have been growing several feet a year. Eventually, we will have a solid barrier of green blocking the main road.

I check the gate to make sure no one has damaged it. When I built the stone walls, a few years ago, a guy stopped to tell me I was installing the stones incorrectly and it would fall down. He gave me his card and said I should employ him if I wanted something to last. Years later, nothing has shifted, nothing is loose, and it is as sturdy as when I erected it.

A favorite view is the entrance to the oriental garden. I enjoy seeing it year-round. Structures in the garden provide wonderful focal points. They draw the eye, beckon one to approach and provide an atmosphere, in this case Asian inspired.

This southern magnolia was gift from our friends John and Tim. We planted it last year. It is thriving in this location and had good growth last summer.

This isn’t a great photograph. Pictured are two camelia plants I put in the ground last summer. These plants are in the oriental garden. In spite of the cold weather, they seem fine. The same time I planted these bushes; I also planted a winter hardy gardenia. It doesn’t seem to be doing as well, but my fingers are crossed it will survive.

This tree is the focus of my daily attention. Every morning, I look out the window to see if any of it has fallen. It is a very old willow tree. Originally, there were at least 5 of these enormous trees. They have all died. This past fall one of them lost half of its height when two dead branches fell. Fortunately, the branches fell in an area where I am not concerned about damage. This tree, however, is in an area where it can damage something I have been growing or erected. Over the past few months, the tree has been shedding more and more bark. It has enormous holes near the top of the tree, where birds have made nests and smaller holes where the birds have sought insects. One day I will wake up and have a surprise.

The picnic area, covered in snow.

This is a very old rhododendron. Deer will not leave it alone. They attacked it several times in late summer and come fall they had broken off a sizeable branch. Andrew and I built a protective cage around the plant. There is mesh on the inside, so they can no longer nibble on it. When the deer broke the branch, I clipped the ends of the branch and put them in this bucket with sand. It has been several months, and the leaves are still green. I hope to propagate new plants. In a few months I will know if the cuttings have developed roots. I am rooting some climbing hydrangea in the basement, as well. They are thriving.

Winter affords me time to reflect, to compare and to plan. YouTube is an excellent source for garden information. I pore through gardening books and gardening catalogs, all the while imagining what I might accomplish come spring. While I would rather be outside in the yard working, I am grateful for this down time and the rest it gives me from the garden. Within two months the garden will begin to awaken, bulbs will sprout, and we will be hosting our annual daffodil tour. Until then, I am dreaming and trying to stay warm!