Friday, January 14, 2011

A wintertime shot

a shot of color in a grey winter
For my fellow northern gardeners, here's a shot of color for you. Happy Friday!

Okay, okay, I'll write more than just that. But that's how I'm feeling. Grey, grey and more grey, what can I write about during these grey winters when there's no tending to the garden? Yes, yes, I can read the seed catalogs. Perhaps I'll do that this evening. But honestly? We have such great nurseries here I'm getting most of my plants from starts this year. I know. Can you believe it? It's time to admit: there are some things I am successful at, and others I'm not. On the latter end, houseplants and seedstarting. My poinsettias died a long slow death here, well, not that slow, but once they entered our front door, they began their rapid descent. It's my special touch. And seedstarting? It's my moldy touch. Mold starting is what I do.

The photo above is a lovely mass planting of red twig dogwood, as seen in South Waterfront here in Portland. We have two of these in our garden, and seeing how these were grown, I'm going to make sure to cut ours down to the ground this summer. It is the new growth that turns the brightest of reds in the winter. My light touch in pruning in the garden? Not this year. There shall be great pruning.

But for now? Back to the grey. Hang in there. It's winter.

6 comments:

Laguna Dirt said...

i love those red plants! but sorry that you sound melancholy. if you can't garden, it's time to cook, eat and drink, read, nap, drink more, go on hikes? what do i know, i'm a superficial, thin-blooded southern californian now. but soon it will be february, and i bet you get a warm snap soon, and then march, and that's spring, everywhere, right??

Anonymous said...

You'd think with the warm up I'd feel more like getting out there and at least cutting off the dead perennial foliage but no. I need sunshine AND warmth. Love the red twigs. Great photo.

A Lewis said...

Red Twigged Dogwood!

Tom - 7th Street Cottage said...

You should sow your seeds the way I do, outside. Let nature take its course and they'll germinate and grow without all that mold.

64 more days til spring.

e said...

The dogwoods are fabulous! I think I'll plant some - partly for the color, and partly for the pruning.
My girlfriend loves to prune and goes at it with a vengance, oftentimes pissing me off! Gah! Get away from the the philadelphus! Leave the lilac alone! This would be perfect for her.
My gray days project has been clearing some of the crap out of the basement. It's slow going but it feels useful and I'm actually accomplishing something. Rather be in the sunny garden, but we'll have to wait...

MulchMaid said...

I saw that planting just this past weekend. Soul-saving, isn't it?