Winter Solstice 

It happens in a moment— 

this tiny, imperceptible turning 

when all at once the night 

ceases its imperial advance 

and the next morning promises

to dawn just a sigh earlier 

than the one before. 

The world still goes on dying 

around it, and trying to keep itself alive. 

This is not yet the spring. 

But huddled in their dens, 

their nests, their thick forest groves, 

the creatures of the world 

put all their wordless faith in this 

quiet shift, dreaming songs of hope 

that maybe, even now, 

it’s already happened. 

–James Pearson, From The Wilderness That Bears Your Name

Hi Friend!  I hope you are enjoying the season. Thank you so much for spending a moment with me.  Did you enjoy the snowy beginning of the month or did it catch you unaware?  I love snow, and I laughed out loud at the magical surprise of a snowy wonderland.  I walked out in the garden and embraced the wintry picture sculpted through naked branches and frost kissed stems in my garden.  Hopefully your garden is all tucked in for the season, and your trees and shrubs are sheltering birds and tiny sleeping creatures during the winter season.  December invites us to celebrate and hibernate…I love a celebration AND I also  want to snuggle in a blanket and drink hot soup.  Choose your own adventure! 

This month has personally invited some focused time away to be with family.  My intention was to write this at the beginning of the month, and life interrupted like the snowfall.  Time for care and focus called me in, and time seemed to stop.  Now towards the end of the month, I feel a bit behind.  In the past I would default into running harder to “get through”.  Do you ever feel like this?  There are end of year celebrations, shopping for friends and family, and festive meals to prepare.  I used to think, if I can just get through this week or this event, I will rest and catch up later.  Now I look outside at the trees, empty and still, not urgent for Spring and feel something else. 

I hike up a snowy hillside drawn toward a magnificent tree, branches spread wide to welcome me home to myself.  I marvel at the sun beaming through her branches.  I am alone on this hilltop, and she is not in a rush.  I walk over to lean my back on her bark.  I breathe deeply and look at the shadow of the branches that stretch over my head like a mother bear.  I feel so little, so small, and so grateful for this reminder that all is well.  I can let go of all my expectations and simply allow love for myself to well up and spill over.  You are enough.  Even when you feel so bare.  There is enough.  You don't need to rush. 

Mother Nature wants you to know life is full of beautiful endings and beginnings.  December finds us at the ending of one year, and the beginning of another.  Take time to celebrate all that you have created, and loved into being this year.  Be tender with the parts of yourself that have seen endings, and have let go.  The door is closing and the door is opening.  Thank you for the tremendous gift of your time and attention, and I hope that you have received a personal invitation to celebrate the joy that rests inside of you.  

RVA IMMERSE 

In the spirit of this month’s invitation to celebrate or hibernate, please enjoy these suggestions for the season. 

WAYS TO CELEBRATE 

Studio 23 Winter Market: Does searching for the perfect holiday gift get your tinsel in a tangle? Look no further than our Winter Market and give the gift of local art! Our Winter Market features an avalanche of artwork, ceramics, home goods, vintage and handmade treasures from 200 local artists. With hundreds of works to choose from, there’s sure to be something for everyone on your gift list!  See ya there! OPEN DAILY!  11am-5pm Fri. November 28 - Tues. December 23.

Visual Art Center’s Bizarre Market: It’s Bizarre Market! So sparkly and snuggly and skin-tingling and full of  lovingly handmade stuff by cool people in Richmond. Visual Arts Center of Richmond / Nov. 29-Dec. 23 / 7 days a week.

Holiday Bars all decked out and ready for some fun. Here’s the list. 

All Lit up…visit Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in the evening and enjoy Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights featuring a million lights, botanical decorations, model trains, festive dinners, warming fire, hot chocolate and s’mores, and more.  This could be a family tradition. 

WAYS TO HIBERNATE

Listen to a fantastic podcast.  In this episode of The Nature Of, Willow sits down with Robin Wall Kimmerer, beloved scientist, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. They explore the shift from learning about to learning from nature, understanding that the land loves us back, and her new initiative Plant Baby Plant. Robin invites us to step back into belonging, and to see the natural world not as something separate from us, but as a generous teacher offering guidance every single day. This conversation is full of wonder and clarity, and it just might change the way you walk outside. Here is her article if you prefer to read and be quiet. 

Look out your window, see nature and feel better.  It’s SCIENCE!  Adding a blanket or animal in your lap boosts the stoke. 

Take a walk in your neighborhood or the woods. I’m still walking the trails in the Wetlands in the James River Park System.  Noticing the changes in this familiar landscape makes my heart feel warm and cozy.  I notice the birds who have stayed, and think about the creatures hibernating in the underbrush. 

GARDEN GUIDANCE

It’s the perfect time to dream and envision your Spring Garden!!  Now is the restful time to begin a garden journal, or sketch a plan.  

First, EVALUATE:  In your garden journal, you can document what worked, what resisted your best efforts, and explore why.  Please do not speak to me of garden failures.  One of my favorite wisdom and meditation teachers in Richmond taught me an invaluable life lesson.  There is only learning about what did not work, and getting information on your efforts.  Instead of Trial and Error, let Trial and Information be your new mantra. So generous! 

Then, PLAN:  If you have not amassed a massive collection of garden catalogs to savor obsessively, then here is a great one to begin.  After you identify your sun (sun, part sun, shade), soil (most likely clayey) and drainage, you will be able to dial in some choices for spring.  Winter is the best time to take pictures of your garden and identify and areas you can plant.  I highly recommend planting some native plants for their beauty and support of your local bees and birds.  Here’s a great article about planting trees, and now you have time to pick your favorite. 

Last Month, I reminded you to get your bulb order in soon, and plant after Thanksgiving.  I love keeping it local and ordering bulbs from Brent and Becky’s .  (No tulips for me because I have a lot of deer where I garden). Guess who waited to order and now has a TON of bulbs waiting to be planted??? ME.  Hopefully, you were more timely than I and your bulbs are in the ground.  But if like me you wiffed, you can store your bulbs in the garage until the soil can be worked.  It’s not completely frozen yet, and I will get digging as soon as its in the 50s.  As a last resort, I can plant them in planters if this doesn’t occur.  Fingers crossed! 

Skip the Salt.  One of the best ways we can contribute to a healthy James River is to reduce salt pollution by skipping the salt. Instead of applying deicing products to driveways and sidewalks, consider using a snow shovel to manage snow and ice. If traction is a concern, consider using bird seed instead of salt and sand. Simply skipping the salt this winter will go a long way in protecting the ecosystems of the James River and its tributaries. Here is a great resource from the James River Association. 

Just Leave it.  I’m hopeful you have heard about the magic of leaving your leaves.  Leaves are Nature’s love notes to you and nourish the soil beneath your trees.  Lawns will not do well with leaves, and must be removed.  Thankfully, your garden beds are the perfect place for your leaves to break down and provide a custom made source of nutrition for your soil, as well as a nursery for future pollinators.  Leave a 3-5 inch layer and they will be gone by Spring.  Some exceptions are: waxy leaves (like Magnolia leaves) that don’t break down or TOO many leaves that are building up in your beds.  Maybe you shred some, compost some, or create a leaf pile in a corner to create a habitat.  If this practice is new to you, here is a great resource.  Maybe start with one bed and see the difference in soil health next year! 

NATIVE PLANT SPOTLIGHT

Have you met Winterberry?  It’s not prickly, shines in the winter season and super friendly to birds.  Winterberry Holly is a slow-growing, deciduous shrub native to Eastern North America and a member of the holly family (Aquifoliaceae). The common name refers to the plant’s red berries that mature in the fall, providing winter interest and food for birds and small mammals. Winterberry Holly requires moist, acidic soil with good drainage.  It’s pretty flexible with light conditions, and will thrive in deep or partial shade, or full sun with enough moisture. It tolerates heat, drought, and soil compaction. If the soil is dry, it will not set fruit. It is resistant to deer foraging, fire and salt. 

Winterberry is low maintenance and makes a nice border or hedge in pond areas, rain gardens, and play areas. It may grow 3 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 12 feet wide. There are dwarf cultivars available. For the home garden, the smaller variety is preferable.  I like ‘Red Sprite’ which stays 3-5 feet tall and wide. To produce berries, the plant must be properly cross-pollinated. Match blooming times with a male pollinizer like 'Jim Dandy' or 'Southern Gentleman' by planting one male (per 10 to 20 females) within 50 feet of female plants.  

Winterberry is low maintenance and makes a nice border or hedge in pond areas, rain gardens, and recreational play areas. It may grow 3 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 12 feet wide. There are dwarf cultivars available. For the home garden, the smaller variety is preferable.  I like ‘Red Sprite’ which stays 3-5 feet tall and wide. It is a food source for butterflies, pollinators, small mammals, songbirds, and specialized bees.  Give it a try this Spring. 

WHAT I AM WORKING ON

Let’s travel to Topping!  Last month I finished up the season creating a beautiful new foundation garden and guest house garden, with a new driveway for friends living at the River.  After our consultation, I created a CAD Design for every aspect of this transformation.  Every inch of this property was transformed by newly accessible driveway and parking.  New garden beds transformed the guest house, disguised the septic field, and created a welcoming entry for the holidays.  Fantastic clients and an excellent local Landscape contractor Will Barrack made this creative plan come to life.  The best of all was receiving pictures of the extensive family gathering with plenty of room for parking and enjoying all of their outdoor space together.  

Gardens are nature’s love notes, reminding us to care for ourselves.  Please reach out if I can help you create your haven at home. 

-See you in the Garden, Wendell