Christmas garden

The cold of the season is firmly established, even though there are murmurs of a thaw at the end of the week.  But even if it does get into the 50's in a few days, the plants have been dragged down by the sub-freezing temperatures and biting winds. 

The Winterberry holly, Winter Red, has stepped out of the background of pencil hollies and tall grass with the red fruits that glow from inside with any bit of sunshine.  This is the front bush of two, which fade into the background for most of the year.  But when the labyrinth is its most monochrome and bleak, these bushes grab everyone's attention. 

This is their second year in the garden.  When they were stripped of their berries the first year, it appeared the birds would maintain an upper hand.  But, so far, the berries are still here, playing a role.  Hopefully they will stay long enough for blue birds migrating in the Spring to have a meal.  They will need to fill in for the large holly tree behind the house that did not set many berries in the drought over the summer.

In the future, as these get larger, they will provide Christmas decorations for both us and the church wreath makers.

While the snow has melted away from these lambs ears, they play a different role.  While the color is not vibrant, this soft gray-green with its touchable texture contrasts with the boxwood and holly green. 

Since the zoysia grass turns a soft yellow brown, it becomes a neutral color for the browns and greens of the flower beds.  While many cannot imagine having a brown lawn in the winter, I find it quite satisfying to have such a bold new color against which other things can be planted. 

Finally, there is this little charmer.  I need to look up the invoice from the Plant Delights Nursery to determine its true name, because the only name to be recalled is some kind of unusual foxglove from South America with red flowers.  That is probably all wrong, but once it has been found, all will be revealed.  For now, it is enough to provide a four inch high plant that is holding its own in the snow.  But then, one of the reasons for starting this blog about the labyrinth garden is to keep learning about all of the plants, and practice their names in my growing-older brain.