Frozen

January was a time of relative warmth and greenery – frequently days climbed into the sixties and the grass was verdant as early spring. After the blooms of last season faded, a procession of new blooms had begun without a pause. But all of that sits frozen now, the new blooms robbed of color and the green fields drained of color by northern winds and buried under inches of ice. Everything has shriveled – the hellebores, quince, witch hazels and even winter jasmine – and retreated into deep winter. The only solace is in the fact that at this point there can only be weeks of winter to endure and not months.
At year’s end the gardening spark remained strong and I was appreciating the winter’s gardens as much as the summer’s; now I’ve retreated indoors and buried myself beneath blankets and books, such as Beth Chatto’s Gardening Notebook, written in a style incorporating horticultural facts with joyful gardening anecdotes and personal reflections. A very good read.
And although we are preparing for an onslaught of this area’s winter staple – the “wintry mix” of sleet, freezing rain, and, if we’re lucky, snow – in three weeks’ time the family and I will be making our right of spring passage to the conservatories of Longwood Gardens.
A great winter escape, the United States Botanical Gardens and Conservatory in D.C., has grown with the installation of the outdoor National Garden. On a recent visit I marveled at how the Mall at the foot of the Capitol has been transformed from a barren expanse of uninspired lots to a diverse and welcoming landscape. Though newly planted and sparse in its infancy, the Botanic Gardens beautifully frame the Capital and make the graceful architecture of the Capitol’s dome and columns shine – previously I thought the building was blah.. The mall is now a top horticultural destination – from Bartholdi Park, the Botanic Gardens, the wild woodland ponds in front of the Museum of the American Indian, and down to the the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden and those surrounding the Smithsonian Castle. Finally, the Capitol is improved on the inside and out.