Winter color
Path to the garden shed
Yesterday afternoon I took my camera into the garden. It was 75 degrees, cloudy, balmy—a pleasant winter day in Austin. A strange thing occurred. My eyes saw the frost-browned salvias that seem to beg to be cut back, although I’ll leave their rattling stems up for another month to save any new growth from frost damage. Ho-hum—the roses that got frostbite during last week’s cold weather need pruning. But when I came inside to look at what my camera had seen, vibrant color filled the computer screen. Funny how your eyes can see one thing but your camera notices something else. Saxon says the camera always lies. But I think it often tells a truth you might otherwise not have noticed.
Much of my winter color comes from garden ornament, or, in this case, fence ornament.
‘Adagio’ miscanthus continues to show off. Frost has mellowed its bloom and yellowed its leaves. I love this grass.
Aren’t they a complementary pair?
This is really how purple my prickly pear is right now, as vivid as the purple pot it grows in. A blue-green tinged with lilac spring through fall, Opuntia macrocentra goes all purple in cold weather. Gorgeous!
Knock, knock
Recycled-junk yard art? You bet.
I hope you see the color in your winter garden today.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
I like to see your garden decorations, some of dem were realy fine and some funny, like the Rycyidedman.
It is strage to have cactus in the garden for us in Sweden but nice. I realy get in “love” with the handle,have you done it your self, or bouth it?
Ken
Hi, Ken. I didn’t always like cactus, but after moving to Texas they kind of grew on me. I like their dramatic shapes and cool colors. The sharp spikes, not so much. 🙂 Regarding the handle . . . I think you’re referring to the door knocker shaped like a trowel? I bought that, but I bet a handy person could easily make one. —Pam
Thanks for brightening my morning. Still thinking about a bottle tree or a bottle something for Faire Garden. I have a collection of small blue bottles and could easily pull green and brown ones from the recycle to vary the colors, just need to decide on the frame shape. The cactus matching the pot is brilliant.
My bottle tree started off with brown and green bottles too, until I got MSS‘s collection of blue bottles. I’ve seen several bottle trees in the Austin area that use bottles of all colors, and they’re quite pretty. Have fun deciding what kind of “tree” to use. —Pam
You raise a really good point, Pam, about seeing beauty and color in photos that we may miss when we’re actually out in our gardens. I think it’s the same “garden vision” that lets us enjoy photos of and visits to other people’s gardens without getting distracted by the same weeds or dead flowers that would irritate us in our own spaces.
Hi, Nan. Perhaps it’s that the camera lets us focus in on a part rather than the whole. Or is it the other way around? —Pam
I agree with Nan. Photos can certainly pick up the colours in our gardens and focussing a lens at our plants forces us to see our plants, and garden, in such a renewed light.
Enjoyed your post Pam and definitely agree with your views re: the miscanthus. Love it.
Thanks, Stuart. It’s nice to get that new focus, isn’t it, whether it comes from a camera angle or a complimentary visitor or just giving ourselves permission to leave a few weeds and enjoy the rest of the garden. —Pam
I’m still seeing green grass, which is nice, that means no snow! Other than that, browns and tans and muted greens. The color of winter here. Now, however did you find that container that perfectly matches the prickly pear?
Carol, May Dreams Gardens (where I have a trowel door knocker much like yours on one of my garden gates)
Green grass does sound nice, but do you not need the snow for protection for your plants? There’s so much about gardening in cold climates that I don’t know. As for the purple pot, that was serendipitous. The prickly pear hadn’t yet turned that purple when I bought the pot to put it in. So when cold weather arrived and the cactus brightened to the same shade, it was a pleasant surprise. —Pam
Pam, this post is a feast for my snow-blinded eyes. Here, we have drifts of snow three feet deep in places, looking like a frozen wave cascading across the perennial bed. There are plants that are tall enough to be poking out of the snow, like my weeping blue Nootka false cypress, and the big rhodos, but I don’t know if I want to flounder through the drifts in my snowsuit to take photos! So I’ll just gleefully absorb yours for today, and watch the snow buntings performing their aerial ballets around the garden. And I must add your blog to my list of must-reads for others to know about!
Hi, Jodi, and thanks for commenting. I recently found your blog too and will be happy to add it to my blogroll. Your weeping blue Nootka sounds beautiful, but I don’t blame you for not wanting to flounder in drifts of snow to get a picture. Though I would really love to see those balletic snow buntings you mentioned. —Pam
Your garden may look all frost bitten to you but to me it looks quite lush and to have blooms in the garden this time of year is such a treat. I love the garden art as well as the agaves. drool…
The roses are hanging on post-freeze, but they do still provide a jolt of welcome winter color. Thanks for the compliment, Lisa. —Pam
What’s the story behind the fence ornaments? I feel certain you told us before but I don’t recall. I like stars.
I like stars too and have a small collection. I don’t think I’ve posted about these painted metal stars before. A guy was selling them at an antique weekend show, though they aren’t antiques. They are a very inexpensive way of making a bad view—a boring, aging fence by the driveway—look a little more cheerful. —Pam
That happens to me all the time–I am taking pictures, and they all seem blah, and then I put them on the computer and WHAM! I love your roses and stars and that door knocker! But I am so feeling a lust for your 75 degrees! Sigh!
~Angela 🙂
Don’t you love those WHAM moments? I wish I could send a little warm weather your way, Angela. We even have our windows open tonight. —Pam
You have such an eye for matching plants with garden art! It was 67F here today, & I could see greens, yellows & burgandys in my garden (along with a lot of brown).
That is very warm for Chicago in January, isn’t it? I’m glad you had a break in the cold and were able to get out and enjoy those colors. —Pam
I’m in love with your purple cactus. Serendipity is a lovely companion. 🙂
Yes, it is. Thanks, Dawn. —Pam
Your garden art just seems to blend in and fit beautifully with your garden. I noticed the matching container and prickly pear too, great combination.
Thank you, Robin. I tend to have a lot of garden art, and some of moves around a while until I find the right spot. You might not realize how much I restrain myself not to have even more. 😉 —Pam
What fabulous colors. I agree, so many times our eyes are drawn to the things we do not like or chores that are waiting for us. But to stop and see the color and textures is important. Especially when we are graced with weather in the 70s!!!
Weather like this is a crime to waste indoors, isn’t it? Thanks for your comment, Bonnie. —Pam
I love the trowel door fixture. Very unique. Your garden looks great. Garden art is difficult and can make or break a good design. You’ve done a good job in selecting and placement.
Thanks, Carolyn Gail. I move things around a good deal, but that’s true of my plants also. Gotta keep it interesting. —Pam