For some plants, winter is no obstacle

O NE WONDERS why any plant would show tender growth at this time of the year, yet many do. None of these plants are newcomers to my garden, so all are familiar with our winters and know what to expect. Sometimes, I must admit, winters hereabouts are mild and wonderful, but every now and then they show a cruel streak that leads to weeklong freezes and plenty of ice.

To choose to subject one's self to such a season, which might come this year in spite of what the almanacs say, reveals a streak of masochism that I never think of plants as having. Surely they have more sense than to want to be hurt, so there must be other reasons why they chance exposing themselves to nature's cruelty.

Perhaps as they developed they met such competition in the spring-summer growing season that they had to adjust to survive. During the winter, moisture is generally available in one form or another, and leafless trees and perennials block no sun.

If, in winter, there is sufficient water and light to support growth, why not grow then? Most winter-growing plants, and many that leaf out or blossom in early spring, evidently have sap liberally supplied with natural antifreeze, often coupled with an ability to draw their lifeblood back into their roots when threatened by freezing.

Pliable stems, leaves and blossoms collapse into the safety of whatever mulch or ground cover is available. The collapse removes them from the path of freezing winds, and there they lie, ready to revert to normal growth as soon as conditions permit.

Good examples are found among the hellebores. Christmas rose, one of them, is often in blossom here by Christmas Day, though in most years it is a week or two later. Still, January and February weather is not the kindest of the year, and one might expect the Christmas rose to suffer and die from cold. It does no such thing, but throws blossoms that last for weeks on end.

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As garden cleanup continues, clean birdhouses, birdbaths and bird feeders. Feeders will be intensely used during winter, and a clean feeder is healthier for both bird food and birds. A good scrubbing, and a bath of boiling water will do the trick. Birdhouses need to be cleaned of old nests and of insects. Birdbaths are welcome in winter as well, when pools, puddles and sources available during the rest of the year may be frozen and unavailable. A birdbath that will not freeze and break, or has a heater, can be monitored and filled as needed. New birdhouses, especially painted ones, will benefit from being hung now, so that over winter they can weather and lose the scent and feel of humans, making them friendly homes next spring.

Date published: 10/14/2006

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