Green and brown

This week marks the coldest of the year, on average. To celebrate the event, Nature is bringing on a blast of bitter weather that is beyond anything seen in years. Single digit temperatures are expected on Friday night and in daylight, the temperatures will stay in the 30's. This may sound balmy to relatives in the Midwest, but to us, it is just Cold.

In winter, the best days come after rain, when the air is soft and still, almost warm. Wet leaves blanket garden beds in tones of tan and taupe. The trunks of trees form punctuation marks in varied shades of gray. Underneath the soil, the roots are resting from a long growing season that lasts from March through November.

Winter lasts only the first two months of the calendar year. By mid-January, the buds of narcissus are pushing though the leaves. It is a slow wake-up to spring, which comes with the equinox in North Carolina.

As I look at garden photos from years past, I am surprised by the fullness of a green summer, the abundance of lush summer foliage. I count the days until I can see the thick rich color of green.