In the winter, my husband and I spend a lot of time on our south facing sun porch. On a sunny day, it is the warmest spot in the house. The porch looks out over the flower garden that borders this side of the house. Winter has taken its toll on the flowers and foliage, but as with the trees, it has also revealed the foundations of the garden and offers me a chance to reconsider and rearrange. I did a bit of that work in the fall but also have a window in the spring when I can make some changes.

In her book about Beatrix Potter’s garden, Marta McDowell comments that every gardener is tempted to start from scratch, but Potter was too “practical-minded” to do that. I am of a similar mind: this particular garden has been a work in progress for almost as long as we have lived at the farm, and each year, it gets closer to some kind of vision. But, also much like Potter, I don’t mind a bit of messiness. McDowell comments, “She never aimed for a show garden” (p. 271).

Here are a few pictures of the winter garden. I find the dry hydrangea blossoms and pineapple sage branches beautiful. And not everything is dead. That lovely green plant beside my bottle tree is rosemary, a winter garden stalwart.