Winter

Winter arrived in the fog on Sunday, and temperatures dropped into the teens by Monday night. Garden visitors must look closely for beauty, but there are patches of bright color among the grays and browns of winter.

In late December, trees and shrubs are full of berries. Native holly (Ilex opaca) and beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) planted themselves on a thin strip of soil next to the driveway.

Itea virginica 'Saturnalia' on the East side of the house is brilliant gold in the morning sun.

Bruised and battered by cold, the flowers of the climbing aster (Aster carolinianus) endure a long time as they wait for pollination. The centers remain yellow until a bee pollinates them and they turn red-brown.