Happy Kwanzaa! I don’t know much about this relatively new tradition between December 25 and January 1, but I do understand that it encourages reflection and celebration of the past as well as commitment to the future. Like I do in my gardens, I try to look around the Berkshires and see what is here, see what I can learn, and apply what I learn to my next tasks. In other words, it is time for a gardening retrospective! It is also time to clear the clutter, own mistakes, and make a plan.
Part of the beauty of New England for me is the seasons. I love that plants go dormant with gusto. They don’t fake it. Leaves fall; stems grow brown; buds wait. It is a deep sleep. At this time of year, I am free to dream and ponder without worrying about “what’s next in the garden.” I am reminded of the importance of sleep, of rest. I enjoy noticing what “rest” looks like in the woods and garden. Ironically even as dried seeds hang from stems, mosses explode in the snow-free gaps of late fall/early winter. With cooler temperatures, abundant sunlight (relatively), and minimal competition, mosses on stone outcroppings and logs positively glow. Everything has its season.
While the wind blows outside, I will start making lists. Where did all these extra plastic pots come from, and do I really need them? What plants did I really like last year? My favorites probably appear regularly in my photos. What plants were disappointments? Maybe they didn’t get enough sun. I will need to move those to a better location or swap them out entirely if I can remember what they were. A big issue for many in 2023 was too much rain. Surprisingly, I didn’t have that problem overall because I had already raised my flower gardens and vegetable gardens with fast-draining (sandy) soil. For gardens that were in swampy areas, they only had swamp-tolerant plants. I will still make notes about what worked and what didn’t and make shopping lists or do research to find better alternatives. Only you know your landscape, the light, the moisture, the wind, the soil; take what you know to find the plants that will thrive in your landscape.
Do you keep a journal of what your garden does? What thrives? What fails? If you haven’t, start. If you start and stop, at least take pictures. If you took photos in 2023, review them and check the dates. Use that information to remind yourself of what could happen and when. Maybe the beetles ate all your Aronia (yup, that was me). I am putting a reminder in my digital calendar to monitor those plants better.
Lists don’t make for pretty photos in December. While I’m happy that chores are few outside, I do like having green things indoors during the winter. Another simple and striking plant for indoors—that does not smack us with holiday tradition—would be bromeliad. Many types can be found in garden centers, and they are simple to grow. Epiphytes—they attach to solid objects and get nutrients from water and photosynthesis not soil. All we must do is keep the center well full of water. The flowers vary from one type to another and bloom for weeks! Here is a lazy gardener’s dream.
Although inside, I still look out my windows. Brown sticks make me gloomy. I realize I want more plants with white or exfoliating bark. Evergreens, birches, sycamores, stewartia, and paperbark maple all have winter interest. I want to add more of them somewhere in my landscape. Onto the list they go!
Our dramatic wind and rain last week finished off some dead trunks in the local woods, including a few birch remnants. These dead stands were already overrun with fungi. I realized that even on the ground the bark can be captivating. The lesson? Don’t overlook the life happening in front of you all year long. Don’t overlook the importance of decomposition in supporting growth.
Which brings me to my next question: What will you do with your cut tree that is dried up indoors? Area groups like the Great Barrington Schouts BSA 23 often collect trees as a fundraiser and will compost them for you. If you have the space, you can do that yourself—in stages—since we’re lazy after all.
Here are a few ideas:
Make soil erosion barriers. Christmas trees make effective sand and soil erosion barriers, especially for lake and river shoreline stabilization. Maybe add them alongside a newfound brook that has developed on your property!
Encourage animal life. Do you have a private fishpond? Sink the tree into the pond as a fish refuge and feeding area. Or place the tree in your garden as a bird feeder and sanctuary. Fresh orange slices or strung popcorn will attract the birds and they can sit in the branches for shelter. (Be sure to remove all decorations, hooks, garland, and tinsel strands.) Eventually (within a year) the branches will be brittle, and you can break the tree apart by hand or chip it in a chipper.
Finally, remember a Christmas tree is biodegradable! You can remove branches, chip them, and use them as mulch in the garden. Branches can also be laid on the soil around roses or over dormant perennial plants when the soil is frozen to provide some winter protection against freeze and thaw cycles.
Don’t just toss this important carbon source into a waste bin. Do the lazy gardener thing and put the rot to good use in your own garden.
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’m willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
