Time to hibernate

We’re heading for a high of 7 degrees F on Thursday, with intermittent flurries throughout the week. But the other day when the temps were a little milder, I jaunted outside to snap a few shots of the evergreens coated in snow and ice.

The rabbits are hiding out now in their favorite bushes.

The Lamium is cuddling around the base of the picnic table.

The bench on the front porch reminds me of summer days I spent there with a cool drink in hand.

The precious Hellebores are tucked under a warm blanket of snow, just waiting for warmth and their chance to unfurl.

The wood pile is ready for a toasty fire.

And Ginger and Oreo are waiting for me to grab a good book and cuddle up on the couch.

It’s winter and I’m OK with that

Most winters about this time, you’d find me complaining about the weather. But the truth is, I’d miss the snow if it passed us by completely. On Thursday, we had our first snowstorm of the season and it left us with a bright, crystalline covering of frosting on the landscape. Luckily, I’d decided to telecommute and I took a short break to check out the scene.

It had me feeling like a kid again…photographing leaves under snow and leaf impressions left by the snow.

Capturing backyard scenes with no snow blowing across the field of vision, and the same scenes with feathery snowflakes in the foreground.

Snapping shots of blowing flakes at various focal depths.

When I was a young adult, I spent a fabulous summer in Southern California. Guess what solicited the greatest feelings of homesickness? Get ready to snicker…

Watching the snowy movie, “Jeremiah Johnson” by myself on a hot summer day! It wasn’t even winter, but just the idea of spending a winter without snow had me hankering for the Midwest! I’ve never experienced a winter without snow. It just wouldn’t be right!

Plant of the month: Purple Wintercreeper

Some plants in my garden confound me—perhaps none more so than Euonymus fortunei coloratus, commonly called Purple Wintercreeper. Not every “plant of the month” is a happy-go-lucky, go-out-and-plant-this recommendation. I can’t recommend this one with a clear conscience.

Then again I personally am not particularly frustrated with Purple Wintercreeper. In fact, it’s a lovely, carefree groundcover confined to just one section of my garden—spilling over the stone wall of a raised bed.

It’s one of those fun chameleon-like plants that changes with the seasons and the lighting.

According to Ohio State University, Purple Wintercreeper:

* Is native to China;

* Grows well in zones 5 to 9;

* Thrives in full sun to part shade; and

* Prefers moist, well-drained soils, yet tolerates poor soils.

But it’s a non-native invasive in this part of the world. So I feel guilty about allowing it to continue growing in my garden. I posted about a year ago regarding my personal philosophies on non-natives and garden zones. I’m comfortable planting some non-native perennials in select areas of the garden.

But reading that Purple Wintercreeper, left unchecked, crowds out native plants in the eastern U.S., gives me pause. I didn’t plant it here, but does that make me any less responsible for its growth?

With my busy family and work schedule up to this point in my life, I haven’t had time to deal with it. But maybe this spring is the time to dig it up. I have two problems with this challenge, though. Purple Wintercreeper is:

1. Extremely difficult to eradicate, according to many sources; and

2. One of the most carefree and interesting four-season plants in my garden.

Various botanical institutions weigh in on the merits and drawbacks of Euonymus fortunei coloratus, including:

* Chicago’s Morton Arboretum

* The U.S. National Arboretum

* Missouri Botanical Garden

* UMass Center for Agriculture

* Ohio State University

* Purdue University

I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do with the Purple Wintercreeper in my garden. But during this mild, brown/gray winter, I’m enjoying its many colors.

Wordless Wednesday: Bird food is not for squirrels