Holly and Ivy

I don't actually have any ivy, but I do have several holly plants.  It's worth growing just to be able to have fresh holly for Christmas decorating.

It looks fresh for a couple of weeks - doesn't change at all!

When I went out to cut holly I noticed how beautiful the garden is.  Without the distraction of all the colors, what you notice is the forms of the plants.  When planning your landscape, don't think only about the seasons when you spend time outside.  Even though you won't be walking around the yard much in winter, it can provide pleasure every day when you look out the window.  Plan for intriguing views all year long.  Plants that are overlooked in summer can be standouts during different seasons.

Topiaries look more dramatic in winter than in summer.

My favorite topiary looks like it has a hat on each of its heads.

Be sure to leave seed heads for birds to eat.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    

The bark of river birch is hardly noticeable in summer, but looks stunning in winter.

                              The garden has a different kind of beauty at night.

Plant stand covered with a gumdrop of snow.

These Alberta spruce look like ghosts.

I don't think we'll be sitting around the fire pit for a while.

This may seem strange for a gardener, but I love my vintage aluminum Christmas tree!

I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Gardening in Wisconsin

It's not easy gardening in Wisconsin. We get temperatures that fluctuate almost 100 degrees every year.  Here are some shots I took in the last seven weeks.

On November 1, we ate the last of the watermelon from our garden.

 On November 8, we were raking leaves.

By December 22, we were digging out of the snow.

It's currently 4 degrees.  It was near 100 in August.  It's amazing that most plants come back year after year.  It's even more amazing that those of us who enjoy gardening keep at it year after year! We get high humidity, too much rain, not enough rain, we never know when the last hard frost will come in spring or hit early in fall. We have Japanese beetles, mosquitoes, powdery mildew, iris borer, rust disease, and blossom end rot.  Then there's our heavy clay soil.  I guess all the adversity makes makes having a beautiful garden even more rewarding.  

There are two main seasons in my world - the Christmas season and the gardening season.  As soon as we've packed away the last of the decorations, I start planning for what changes I'm going to make to the garden next spring. It's not quite time for that yet though.  Next month....