Between the flamboyance of autumn and the silvery finesse of winter, New England squeezes in another season: late November-early December, a gray and unloved time. Unlike its cousin at the other end of winter – Mud Season – this one has no name. And while Mud Season at least brings maple syrup, this one offers little to cherish. Most people just try to endure it, eyes averted, until the snow comes and hides the brown ground, and the world is beautiful again.
I may be one of the few who actually like this odd time of year. Why? More important than it being the end of my busy work season, whew, a time to catch my breath and clean up the office, an opportunity for introspection and quieter forms of creativity…beyond these nice relaxing benefits, the big appeal of this season is that now I, as a landscape designer, can clearly see what’s going on outside: nature’s patterns and processes.
This homeowner understands that trees thrive best in the duff of their own fallen leaves.
No fluff. No intrusive foliage or distracting blossoms. Just form and structure. Clear sightlines. Open views. The shape of the ground, the curve of a hidden stream, how high the September flood actually rose, the colors of naked tree bark, what fruits and seeds remain as winter food on which species, how many mosses are still chugging brightly along in the low light, who in town has been “tidying up” (i.e. removing nutrients from) their forest…fascinating stuff. Now is when the landscape reveals a huge treasure of information – and countless new questions – about how things work.
One major discovery at this time of year has to do with invasive plants. Many non-native species get a competitive advantage by leafing out earlier, and holding their foliage later, than their native neighbors. In New England, burning bush (Euonymous alatus) is a big winner in this contest. If you didn’t notice its insidious spread all summer long, you surely can’t miss it now.
Same with oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculata), which has spent the summer creeping up, over, under, between and around every nearby tree, shrub, fence and shed. Now is a great time – when the vines and their familiar bright berries can be clearly seen – to go bittersweet-hunting, to locate and tag plants for spring removal, after the sugars that were stored in the roots over winter have been depleted by the leaf-out process.
Note: fortunately, bittersweet is banned from sale in many states (although this hasn’t kept garden centers and farm stands from selling disastrously berry-loaded bittersweet wreaths).
By contrast, English ivy (Hedera helix), which is equally or perhaps more aggressive than bittersweet, is still eagerly being planted in gardens across the country. This despite its classification as a noxious weed in 46 states. Only Oregon has banned it from sale. In early winter, you can see English ivy happy as can be: no competition for sunlight and plenty of room to move!
There’s more to this season, however, than just bad news. My favorite thing about late fall is the opportunity to notice how all kinds of plants arrange themselves. Because these patterns of distribution reveal what nature does on its own, they inform my thinking about what’s possible in my designs, as I work to create landscapes that will thrive with the least need for outside materials and energy. Below are three beautiful patterns that showed up during my recent walk in a nearby conservation area.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is the only holly grows wild in my part of western New England. That this plant holds onto its gleaming red fruits far into winter doesn’t come as news to most gardeners. Neither does the fact that ilex is a dioecious species. (For more great detail about this plant, read Ellen Sousa’s recent post.)
About Sue Reed
thank you for your perspective, and insight into your process of observation and learning! if you take the time and look, there is always something interesting to see!
i, too, really enjoy this time of year. my husband and i have a cabin up in the catskill mountains; my favorite time to visit is actually when the leaves are down, so i can see distances within the woods as well as the topography. while there aren’t as many critter around as in the summer, you often have more opportunity to see them pass given the dense foliage is no longer there.
Thanks! I agree: topography is one of my favorite things to see, especially the shape of a hillside – and the top of it – that I couldn’t make out in summer.
i like this time of the year too, the structure and subtle colors are really beautiful to me – so much more interesting than the dense wall of green in mid-summer. not a popular view
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Yes, that “wall of green” can sometimes be so boring. I guess maybe that’s one reason why people get so much delight from flowers…. because they’re easy to see and they break up the green scene. Thanks for reading my post, and for your comment!
I’ve always loved the plant communities I’ve seen growing on bedrock such as you describe above. Thank you for showcasing them here.
David recently posted..First of Many More
I totally agree! Prowling around bedrock balds is the greatest: the open ground between pockets of vegetation makes it easy to get around and see all the treasures from every angle, plus all the plants that grow in these conditions are so admirably hardy! One thing I had to learn (the hard way, as it turns out) is that these same plants will often take a whole different shape/size in a garden situation. Duh
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I agree Sue this time of year is a time to learn…to see what is growing, where and how…I often see the things I want to keep and those I need to change…we usually have more snow by now but not this year…
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..The Making of a Meadow
True, this year is a bit weird, weather-wise. Thanks for your comment!
Hey Sue – great post. So many good points for me to take away. Among them: 1) I wouldn’t have paid any attention to the landscape architecture now visible in winter. 2) Tagging invasives for later removal – I didn’t know there was an advantage to letting them leaf out first before removal. Really good point. In helping neighbors identify and remove their invasives, I was going to wait until spring. But I can start now thanks to your post.
Thanks,
Hal
Hal Mann recently posted..Recent Inspiration
Thanks Hal. Glad to be of some help.
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Mud Season is on both ends of winter for us here, and my gardening is limited by how much traction I can get–but I definitely hear ya about structure! And about the the invasives…the honeysuckle is the only thing going in the surrounding woods, and at least now I know where it IS…
UrsulaV recently posted..I came, I saw, I composted!
I hear ya! At least honeysuckle is pretty easy to pull, and it seems not to come back with too much vengeance…at least that’s been my experience. Unlike Japanese knotweed, stiltgrass, etc! Thanks for writing.
Great post Sue! It is this time of year that I can see the sensual flow of the hummocks of my land. Winterberry adds such a vibrant accent as you say and I enjoy seeing the birds. I do see folks picking them along the road and only hope they do not take too much. Our low bush blueberry clumps look much like yours . . . many ground birds indulge . . . thanks for inspiring me to look at it in a different light. I love seeing the structure of the naked trees too.
Carol Duke recently posted..December Sky Delights Swallowing Moon and Sun
I enjoyed reading this! You were able to put into words so many of the things that flit through my mind this time of year. To every season there is something to do – this must be our “thinking” season!
By the way, the link to USDA for wintergreen is not working – it just goes to the search page.
Ellen recently posted..Underused Native Trees