The Thriving Winter Landscape

It is now the month of December. As the colder temperatures become more frequent, numerous changes to our natural landscape and gardens become apparent. For example, I notice more leaves on the ground and in the gutters. The soil, grass, and my garden stay wetter longer. In my garden, there is what I believe to be a Norfolk Island pine in a pot. It has been filled with water from the rainstorm that I mentioned in my previous post. I was able to drain most of the water, but not all of it. Root rot is always a concern; however, after battling many rainstorms and winds in the past, I have come to realize that it is a very hardy pine. It is a deity among pines in its own right that will continue to soar towards the sky for many days to come. As winter approaches, it is important to remember that this season is an opportunity for us to embrace nature’s eternal processes.

“It was summer, and now again it is winter. Nature loves this rhyme so well that she never tires of repeating it.” - Thoreau (Journal, 7 December 1856)