Geranium foliage, late fall

Dear Mother Nature,

I would like some winter, please and thank you.  I love my winter. I don’t want my winter to be like fall or spring.

Winter gives me the freedom to leave the garden for a bit and turn my attention to other activities like reading about gardening, napping and dreaming about gardening, and  convincing myself it is too cold to be out in the garden doing any actual gardening.

When the temperatures in early winter are record breaking warm, and occur on the weekend, I feel guilty if I don’t go out into the garden and do something.  I feel as though you, Mother Nature, are telling me, “Go outside right this very minute young lady and cut back those perennials you didn’t cut back earlier and you do it before I send down the torrents of snow which will be your payback for these warmer than usual days”.

After I heard that lecture, I did go out into the garden and started cutting back some perennials. Then I noticed the egg case of a praying mantis so I stopped because, Mother Nature, I was sure you didn’t want me to destroy that, did you?  Not to mention, I’m just not used to gardening in December and it felt all wrong to be out there.

But what is going to be our payback for these extra warm days?

You know every person, whether they garden or not, is thinking we are going to pay for this warm weather come January and February.  Can’t have the good without the bad, right?  What did we do to deserve this weather? What’s the catch here? What’s the trick? What’s going to happen the rest of this winter, which has barely begun? We are going to have a blizzard! It’s going to be awful! Where’s the snow shovel?

By golly, Mother Nature, don’t tease us like this. Don’t leave us in suspense as to when you are really sending winter.  We actually want some snow and winter because if it doesn’t snow enough or get cold enough we will soon be wringing our hands and muttering about the bugs and how many there will be next spring and summer and how big they will be if we, and by “we”, I mean you, Mother Nature, don’t kill some of them off with the snow and cold.

But please don’t provide too much snow and cold. After all, Mother Nature, I planted Camellias and they are doing quite well so far with this warm weather.  And did I mention this is the best the Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger, has ever looked, Mother Nature?  Great job on those!  And great job on the Christmas coloring on the geranium foliage. Festive!

My kind request for the rest of this winter that is just beginning, Mother Nature, is to please send us  some seasonal weather, and by that I mean a little snow when it is cold, and no precipitation on those days when you can’t make up your mind on the temperature and hover around 32F.  No offense, but no one likes the ice. No one.

If you would just do that, Mother Nature, I promise to make sure I cut back the rest of those perennials on the first warm spring day you send after Valentine’s Day. You have my word.

With a shared love of gardening,
Carol