In the dark of December
Dear Reader! We made it to December! Only a few weeks until the winter solstice, which means that our days here in the northern hemisphere will begin to grow longer once again. The ditty to keep in mind as we approach that milestone - the mantra, dare I say! - comes from Oliver Herford, a writer known as America’s Oscar Wilde.
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,”
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
I just got back to Toronto after a long weekend at Maison BLUM, and boy, was it ever nice to spend some long hours by the fire, mending my slippers and reading In Watermelon Sugar and Sirop de Poteau and circling seed varieties I’d like to order from the new West Coast Seed catalogue. It was nice, too, to bundle up and brave the biting cold, wander along the First Concession far enough so the western horizon opened up and I could watch the metamorphosis of colour at that early, four o’clock sunset.
Although I love my alone time, I found myself yearning for the company of family and friends, both overcome with nostalgia for good times and gatherings past, and looking forward to a full house come the holidays when we’ll be back in force and welcoming my darling mum and sister, as well as my sweet cousin and his roomie who will be experiencing his first Christmas in Canada.
All this looking forward got me motivated to prepare as much as I could for the exciting time ahead. I deep-cleaned the kitchen cupboards. Oiled the wooden counters. Organized the gifts I have and made lists for what’s left to make, do, or procure. And most exciting of all: I spent hours confecting a ten-foot-long garland for the arch in the living room and managed to get it hung up all by myself (not an easy feat - several thumb tacks were harmed in the process!) Here’s the video I used to brush up on my garland-making technique.
And although I was alone more than I’m used to, still there were lovely spots throughout the weekend where I was reunited with dear friends, some of them neighbours. A dinner with one pal that turned into a cosy veillée with another who showed up with her knitting, unannounced (and most welcome!) An impromptu chili lunch wherein salacious stories of neighbours past (yet more Powerscourt Stories fodder!) were generously shared. An afternoon of hot cocoa and garland atelier with a beloved new pal I met this summer via a Marketplace hook-up for free hay from her barn and whose horses have been keeping my garden in good stead for manure. And of course, the main event, on Saturday morning at Café la Ruche: the second meeting of the Blooming Valley Garden Club!
We were a smaller, yet mighty chatty and bubbly group of six this time around, and the hour flew by. What struck me most was that even in late November, there is so much to do as gardeners. It is not time yet to prune, but we can look ahead to that late winter/early spring activity by preparing our tools now, cleaning and sharpening where needed. It’s not yet time to sow, but we can start planning our gardens for next year, organize our seeds, figure out our indoor seed-starting set-ups, give away what we have in too great abundance, order plugs and roots and seeds ahead.
We can look around our gardens and see what might need tweaking in terms of their skeletal structures, so evident at this time of year when the annuals are dead. Are there colours or textures you’d like to see when you look out your window in midwinter? Is there shelter for wildlife? Perhaps more evergreen plants should make their way onto your wish list. Are you happy with the layout of your borders and beds? Maybe you want to expand here or trim there; I like to make tracks in the snow to see what it might look like to change the spacing of things in my garden. The current “emptiness” of the space can give you perspective bright as fresh fallen snow!
Looking forward to the solstice, there’s also an exciting option for perennial seed starting I just discovered and will be trying out for the first time this year. Winter Sowing is a novel method for me, but it is apparently a low-cost, low-effort way to propagate new plants that you’d otherwise pay a pretty penny for at the nursery. I’m following this resource/guide. Just remember that one doesn’t winter sow until after December 21st.
Our next gathering for the Blooming Valley Garden Club is set for Saturday January 3rd, 10:30-11:30 at Café la Ruche in Huntingdon. The focus of this meeting will be planning for spring. Bring your seed catalogues and, if you like, your laptop or a notebook to make notes/work directly in a spreadsheet if you want to. We will also have our own “Seedy Saturday.” I will be bringing various extras of seeds I have too many of and giving them away. There is no pressure for anyone to do the same, but if you’d like to, you’re welcome to join in the fun! I have purchased empty, resealable seed packets for us, so we will be able to fill and label them as needed.
