THE WINTER LANDSCAPE
At the first sign of fall, I feel a sadness and loss. The summer
was too short! All the beautiful flowers that have perfumed my days
are now nodding their heads and dropping leaves. The trees are
turning colors and some are already bare. I know it will soon be
time to close the windows and stay inside where it is warm. No
longer can I enjoy feeding my fish or pruning the roses. The time
for leaf clean-up is here. The ground takes on a brownish color that
makes me weary, lonely, and down at heart. For years, living in the
same place, I have watched the seasons change and the same thing
always happens. I live in New York and I hate the cold weather as
much now as I did as a kid.
There are some preparations that can make winter a bit more
enjoyable in the colder regions. One thing I always enjoyed in
winter was the silhouette of the bare trees against the w hite snow.
Some trees have just the most gorgeous shapes that are hidden in
summer, only undressing for us when we have nothing else to see. By
pruning or training the young trees I will have something beautiful
to see in winters. Also by shopping for trees with special bark, or
contorted shapes, you can always enjoy the scenery, with or without
leaves. In my yard, I chose the lovely white birch, white pine,
evergreen taxis hedge, stately Japanese maple dissecta (with careful
February pruning), and other maples. In the front yard I will enjoy
the Red Twig Dogwood because I cut back the shoots annually to
assure the bright red colors next winter. It is placed next to the
deep green of a mugho pine.
Another “winter preparation” trick is to leave some of the
flowering seedheads, such as Iris Siberica which has the graceful
arching leaves with a straight seed carrying branch and “rattling”
head of seeds. It makes a nice dried flower arrangement too. I leave
the dried Black-eyed Susans (Rudabeckia) for contrast in places
where it looks nice, as a filler.
After all the other deciduous plants have died back, if you have
inter-planted low growing evergreens, such as evergreen candytuft,
creeping euonymus, small-leaf ilex, and boxwoods, instead of losing
the landscape, you will simply enjoy a brand new one! In the spring
I look forward to spring housecleaning, taking out the house plants
and making more living space for myself. Somehow in fall I feel the
same relief in bringing them back in!
The other really important part of my own landscape is fall
bulbs, such as colchicum, which are such a herald of good things to
come! I have unique stone statuary hidden all summer in the
understory which only becomes evident after the garden cleans
herself of all the extra trappings. So, in the time between leaf
drop and snow fall, I have plenty of which to take pictures! I am
getting ready for snow shots of the pond, the fish through the
half-covered pond, the bent grasses around the pond, and etcetera.
My garden really comes to life in the winter with the only ice-free
drinkable water for the wildlife. I get to see birds that most
people would never even notice. I leave my filter going all winter
to handle the additional activity, as the birds would be there
whether I filtered the pond or not. They don’t care how much we
spend on fish or how their contributions might affect them.
You’ll have to admit, ponds sure look exquisite in winter! I hope
you are enjoying your four-season garden, too!!
- Carolyn Weise
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