My letter to Santa

 I gave myself an early Christmas present this week. I had been good about weeding and organizing, and the long warm fall has allowed us to get a good start on all the winter tasks. So I made arrangements to go visit several of my gardening buddies' gardens. The weather synched perfectly with my calendar- rain the two days before, followed by brilliant sun and warm breezes. The itinerary looked very comfortable, and all involved were willing.

I think there aren't enough tours of gardens in the "off" season. This is a time to find the bones of the garden- the strength that underlies all the splash in spring and summer. If there's nothing to look at in your garden now, you need to stop now and figure out how you will fix that. If you're putting your energies into more bang for your spring buck, you're wasting your money. Without the proper frame and foundation on which to build, the effort falls flat. So go look now; look everywhere; and take your gardening friends along for the fun of it all.

Three of the four gardens I visited had water views. Yet all three were completely different in focus, terrain, and mood. First, there was Jerry and Lance's magical "Avalon". This is not a new garden, but not an old one, either. These two "energizer bunnies" have cleared, cut, dragged, dug, heaved, hoed, sowed, excavated, renovated, innovated, planted, replanted, pruned, and prayed over every bit of the ground here in Avalon. As Jerry describes her sleeping hostas and bulbs and woodland wildflowers, we take note of the evergreen ferns bordered by species and special Rohdea japonica, boxwood (all rooted by Lance), hellebores, hollies, azaleas, and other treasures. Throughout the beds, there are hints of themes...King Arthur's burial ground, magic Dragons, whiffs of the Orient, virgin forests, and ancient ruins. So much to see and feel as we walk thru!! But it's not all green and utilitarian. Jerry walks us by each and every one of her magnificent conifer collection, and we note color, shape, progress, form, culture, source. And that brings us to reminisce about some of the garden tours and trips we've shared and enjoyed. What a lovely way to spend a warm December afternoon!

The next day I headed to Milledgeville to make the rounds of Cathy, Lynn and Barbie's gardens. I had ignored all the lame protests from the first two, because I knew that they'd been buying oodles of plants to put somewhere! And I was right.
 Both of these gardens are on a large lake, but the orientation of both garden and gardener is entirely different. "Gardening is a mirror of the heart", said Elizabeth Lawrence.  
 Truly we could see their hearts and styles.

 Cathy has a grand, wide view of the lake and has built her garden to be a companion. Her lake life is casual, soothing, and also playful. So she has woven some of her favorite and most fun conifers into beds of color, shapes, and sizes that will add to the lake atmosphere instead of separating herself from it visually. Many of her conifers are small, while some have a high if narrow space in which to shine. But no plant goes ignored. And a few are just there for fun.

Moving on to Lynn's- just down on the same lake, I found an entirely different atmosphere, but an equally charming garden. Tiny little Lynn has also cleared "the woods" of many trees, weeds, unwanted and overgrown inherited plants with her bare hands and the stubbornness and balance of a mountain goat. She has, instead, lit what's left with amazing conifers, callicarpas, ferns and other companions. From her house, she has a straight on view of the lake, but on each side, she has surrounded herself  by beacons of yellows, blues, textures and hues on both the "up" and "down" hillsides. Absolutely amazing in sun and shadow.

And to round it all out, we return to Barbie's. She's an old hand at gardening, garden touring, working until every muscle aches and every branch bends in the right direction. But it is always so much fun to see what's new since last time.....No water view, but many others are here. Succulents and conifers, grasses, and such a wide array of evergreens- trees, shrubs, and perennials. More color and texture than you see in most spring gardens, and roses to boot! Her conifer collection is growing...in quality and quality, and there's always some new little such and such tucked in here or there.

 Yesterday's find was definitely the Tetrapanax papyriferus in full bloom. What a luxurious, tropical looking hardy plant that is usually a textural accent, but took center stage with it's very late flower clusters.

There are lots of reasons to visit other peoples' gardens. There's always something new to learn, something new to notice, some new idea to steal......But the very best reason is to share stories and experiences and visions with good friends. In troubled times like these, we could all use a little more shared enjoyment and less, well, you know.....

I can give you a long list of quotes that reflect this idea of the value of gardening and gardeners:

"Though an old man, I am but a young gardener." - Thomas Jefferson

  "Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are".-  Alfred Austin 

 Maybe the best is one another from Elizabeth Lawrence:

 "No one can garden alone".  


Santa, please put that one under the tree.