Notes from Havenwood

December Gardening with Snow & Thaw

Havenwood with Christmas snow this year!

“As the Dean closed the garden door behind him he stood in amazement.

He had stepped not into the expected darkness but into light. It was neither the sun nor moon but of the snow… The snow was not deep but it covered the garden with light…

He walked slowly through the garden in awe and joy, thinking of the myriad of snowflakes under his feet, each one a cluster of beautiful shapes of stars and flowers and leaves, all too small to be seen by any eye except that of their Creator, yet each giving light. That was why he always wanted a white Christmas. Almighty God had been so small, as small as the crystal of a snowflake in comparison with the universe that He had made.

‘Such light!’ murmured the Dean as he opened the door into the Cathedral. ‘Such light!’"

— Elizabeth Goudge, The Dean’s Watch

Welcome to Notes on Havenwood…

where I share more of the inner workings of my one-acre town garden in western Pennsylvania. We are located in a Continental horticultural zone 5/6 between the Great Lakes and the Appalachian mountains.

Our Decembers are full of weather drama. One day it is a “white out” where we cannot see our neighbors through the snow, and another day it is sunny and 58°F (14°C). There is shoveling one day, then a bit of raking to uncover the Bluets the next. There is plenty of just walking around in a cold, wet garden reflecting and planning for next year.

In the thaw, there were many things still going on around here in December, and I relish having good reasons to get outside on the nicer days. It is a break from holiday preparations, and a bit of solitude, too, as the neighbors are all hiding indoors.

Let’s take a look on what was going on around Havenwood this December…

Snow just before Christmas on our lawn and topiary Snow Goose.