Watershed Texas

Possumhaw Holly

Once the holiday season is over and we experience cooler temperatures along with occasional rain begin, most of us put thoughts of landscaping into a kind of suspended animation. Much of what is referred to as “color” in the landscape has left our gardens to be replaced by colors of the extended holiday season that begins with Halloween and ends with New Year’s Day. After all, isn’t this the time of year when plants are supposed to go dormant—losing leaves, going to seed, or disappearing altogether until the warmth of the spring sun brings them to life again?

The simple answer is yes, but who ever said nature is without her complexities and that all of life outdoors ends for the time being? I find winter to be one of the most striking of seasons in the garden. In our area, we are blessed with a long growing season, meaning many of our late summer bloomers are still visible. Until late December, my Red Rocket Russelia, Russelia sarmentosa ‘Red Rocket’, kept a Rufous Hummingbird indulging in the nectar from the tiny tubular flowers while delighting me and my indoor cats.

Many herbs grow well here in winter

Herbs that I planted in large containers by the back door in late September are full and lush and provide me with easy access to harvest these culinary treasures. The robust Crossvine, Bignonia capreolata, that clambers along my fence is mostly evergreen and offers shelter and cover from predators for birds that come to my feeders. In my neighborhood, many trees that survived the drought will put on gorgeous displays of color well into December and even into January. The first view that captured my attention as I stepped out my front door was my neighbor’s Shumard red oak, Quercus shumardii, resplendent in shades of red to orange.

Shumard Red Oak

Deciduous trees, those that drop their leaves in winter, will now reveal their sculptural poses, interesting bark patterns and colors, and the occasional abandoned nest. Against a moonlit sky, their forms take on eerie, yet stately, lifelike shapes and afford owls perches from which to espy their nocturnal prey. Migratory bird species making their way across Houston to their winter refuges are more readily observed in foliage-free trees, making even the casual observer a birding enthusiast.

Several native shrubs actually put on their best show in winter. Once the branches of Possumhaw Holly, Ilex decidua, are leafless, we see they are lined with bright red berries making this large shrub/small tree a striking specimen and scrumptious bird feast. For those with a penchant for all things spicy, a few of the bright red peppers of Chili Pequin, Capsicum annuum, can be harvested and dropped into wine vinegar for a Pepper Sauce that just happened to be a favorite of Thomas Jefferson. One year, I photographed a stand of Chili Pequin with its pops of red against lively green and created instant Christmas cards. The native Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum, Viburnum rufidulum, enchants us with glossy autumn color in late fall and reveals its waxy bluish-black berry clusters once leaves are shed.

Drive along a busy roadway flanked by open fields and notice the pale golden waves of native grasses. Native grasses in general offer near year-round interest—the green blades that arch gracefully during summer put on a “bloom” in fall that can appear as rosy puffs, purplish plumes, or even burgundy spikes. As the plant matures, seeds appear to provide food for wildlife or fall to earth to renew the growth cycle. In winter, the tan, grassy clumps add a soft sculptural interest to otherwise barren spaces. In the home landscape, grasses can be left uncut during the cool, dormant period, sheltering birds and beneficial insects and then clipped to about eight inches, depending on the species, once new growth appears in late winter or early spring.  

So as the days of winter persuade us to remain indoors and only dream of pastel blooms of spring, allow nature to pull you from your doldrums. As you will discover, nature delights us, no matter the season, temperature, or month on the calendar.