a year in my garden: december

Christmas Day – and all of my big chores for the year are behind me. Baking, done and delivered. Latkes, cooked up and served. Gifts, wrapped, given and opened.

And the garden is officially closed for business.

Winter is the time when gardeners dream and plan for the following season. But don’t stop looking outside, because this is the time of year when your evergreens really have a chance to shine. Evergreen shrubs – such as the boxwoods and skip laurels you see here – are the true “bones” of the garden, and are especially valuable in a garden that is viewed all year long. In the warmer weather they provide a green backdrop for the more colorful and ornamental plants, and give the eye a resting place so that the colors and textures don’t overwhelm. When winter arrives, they then step up and keep the garden looking green and lush. So while it’s tempting to fill your garden exclusively with showy perennials and flowering shrubs, remember that they all go dormant and bare once winter comes.

This is also the time when ornamental structures like lattices and tuteurs stand out and provide visual interest and texture.

And don’t neglect your pots and planters over the winter months – I love to blend different shades of green to create lush and happy planters that will greet us at the door all season long.

You can bring some buds and greens inside too.

I hope you’re having a happy and peaceful holiday with those you love.

Related posts:

a year in my garden: november a year in my garden: october a year in my garden: august