Look up, look up, at any tree!
There is so much for eyes to see:
Twigs, catkins, blossoms; and the blue
Of sky, most lovely, peeping through
Between the leaves, some large, some small,
Some green, some gold before their fall;
Fruits you can pick, fruits out of reach;
And little birds with twittering speech;
And, if you’re quick enough, maybe
A laughing fairy in the tree!
Look Up!, by Cicely Mary Barker
Ahhh, we can finally breathe again now that the holidays are over and everyone has gone home and the kids are back in school.
We had to make a trip to the Coast early January to get our daughter back, so we got to see the incredible damage from the ice storm in the Fraser Valley. There wasn’t one deciduous tree that wasn’t badly broken or damaged, and lots were still leaning dangerously over the highway, which was scary.
Having a green Christmas instead of white one made it feel a little less magical without the winter wonderland around us, but the silver lining was that it did make it safer for travelling.
I got to put on my gardener’s hat just one more time by taking advantage of the weather on Boxing Day to put those 100-plus bags of leaves through my trusty little chipper –which I hadn’t done yet, so now that’s off the busy spring to-do list. Yahoo!
There’s so much expense and energy that go into holiday preparations, such as invitations, locations and travel considerations, reservations, decorations, gift decisions, tree and food selections, people combinations and then the New Year’s resolutions – which after contemplation, some may come to the conclusion that they’ll find a distant destination for next year.
Now, after the whirlwind of activity and eating, it’s time for the de-construction of taking down the tree and putting everything away again.
While I was plucking apart a floral decoration that someone was going to throw out to put in my compost pail, it reminded me of a story I read of how a gardener took the mountain of spent bouquets that were laid at the gates after Princess Diana died, composted them and then created a beautiful garden in her memory with the soil produced from the flowers.
Winters can be hard to wrestle with for many of us, because after the sensory overload of colours, scents and textures of the spring, summer and fall seasons, we then slip into the sensory underload of the whites, grays and browns. So here are a few survival tips and suggestions to get us gardeners through until springtime.
First, if there’s a need for green, then take a drive to the Best Western Vernon Lodge and treat yourself to their huge, tropical atrium that’s right in the centre of the building. It boasts a natural creek that runs right through it, a jungle of tropical trees, palms and plants, a pool and a lovely dining area with very reasonable prices. (The Best Western just west of Chilliwack we delightedly discovered because we got stuck in the storm, also has the same theme, but not as grand as this one); 2) Grab a camera and spend the day snapping away at the birds and snow-laden berries and whatever else catches your eye, to keep connected to nature; 3) Open your doors and windows every day to allow a big waft of fresh air into your home, no matter what the temperature is outside; 4) Take up a garden project, such as cleaning and sharpening tools, giving new life to an old bench, build a bird, bat or mason bee house or whatever comes to mind for your yard; 5) Crack open your garden and seed books and magazines to start planning the planting; 6) Spring for a pretty plant or bouquet once in awhile to keep your spirits up and add some colour to your life; and 7) Feast your eyes on as many gardening sites and shows as you can to keep yourself educated and inspired.
Winter can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be that rough if we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to plow through the worst of it.
Cheers to a great 2015 gardening season everyone.