This has been a very cold week. I have not pursued outdoor gardening at all. I embraced the lazy part of my gardening role and have instead just been “thinking” about gardening outdoors with a few highlights of indoor gardening. The temperature will supposedly go above freezing by the weekend, so I have added a few “to-dos” if you want to get out.
As promised, my paperwhite bulbs have bloomed. These easy-to-grow bulbs sprout multiple flowers from one stem and add a bright spot to the holidays. The fragrance is not for everyone, but I love them.
With only seven days until the Christmas holiday, I will introduce a few additional holiday gift plants. Small lemon cypress trees, hellebore, and wintergreen are all available now. Put them together in a large container or lined up on a table—they make a festive display and can be kept in a cool indoor spot until outdoor conditions allow you to bring them outside. The lemon cypress tree and Norfolk Island pine are not hardy in our zone 5, but you can keep them as houseplants. They would appreciate some time outside in a pot during the summer months before bringing back indoors for winter. Both the hellebore and wintergreen will grow in our climate, but you will need to reacclimate them to the cold temperatures. It is probably best to grow them in a cool protected location inside until acclimating them in spring to a growing spot outdoors.
Outside the snow has put interesting seedheads, branching, and bark textures into dramatic relief. When I am out walking the dog, I quiz myself on the trunk bark trying to identify the tree. I think I need a book with more detail. (Hint, hint.) In any case, the exercise has been interesting, and I have noticed how different the trunks can be. For example, consider adding Betula allegheniensis to your landscape for its interesting bark. Related to paper birch, this plant commonly called swamp birch also has exfoliating bark, but the strips are smaller and more like curlicues than the large strips of paper birch. Other plants with interesting bark include paperbark maple (Acer griseum), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), or shagbark hickory (Carya ovata).
If adding trees eats up the budget, think about interesting perennials instead. Seedheads that persist through the winter to catch snow or create a break from too much “white” also add interest to your landscape. Coneflower (Echinacea sp.) has a spiky ball shape while the seeds linger, but a picked-over flower head has wonderful shape, too, that makes you realize where the term coneflower originates. The drumstick centers of black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia sp.) also create a great silhouette.
Who is still thinking of last-minute gift ideas? Get kids on your list into gardening with easy-to-grow seeds or a set of kid-sized garden tools. Seeds for sprouting in a jar will have a quick pay-back and just might make the little ones enjoy eating green, healthy foods. Seeds can be sprouted to serve as healthy garnishes to soups, sandwiches, omelets, or hors d’oeuvres or grown on as microgreens for fresh winter salads. Packets have all the directions.
Could a plant gift intimidate the recipient when what she really needs is a better way to take care of the plants she has? Offer a plant-care book (they still exist), plant-care tutorial, or monthly check-in to help the plants thrive. A gift card for a tool or container would be appreciated, too!
Sunday, December 21, marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The forecast suggests we may get above freezing! Time to collect the cooled ash from my busy wood stove and spread it around landscape plants. I will scatter the wood ash around the base of my lilacs and lavender, which will benefit from the extra potash minerals with every rain or snowfall. Clematis plants benefit from the potash, too
Finally, have you put up a huge evergreen, cut-stem in your living room? Yes, a Christmas tree is just a big, fresh-cut stem. Like fresh-cut flowers, a fresh cut at the trunk base will help it absorb water. Also like fresh-cut flowers, they do best in cool parts of the house away from heaters and bright sunlight. Keep the plant stand reservoir filled with fresh water, too.
Merry Christmas to all!
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
