The mornings are distinctly chilly. And it’s only a matter of time before the landscape is painted with Jack Frost’s black brush. Now before you reach for the gin, consider gardens can be almost as beautiful in the fall and winter as they are in spring and summer. Almost. Take a page from the studied tranquillity and harmony of a Japanese garden, which look amazing all year long.
“There’s an emphasis on the calm that comes from a Japanese garden’s refined vision of nature. They invite us to slow down, open our perception and change our thinking” says author Kendall H. Brown, professor of Asian art history at California State University Long Beach.
Snow cupped by a pine tree.
If Environment Canada’s predictions are accurate, we’re in for a cold winter, lots of snow and a cool, wet spring. Rather than grumble about the lack of green and flora for the next number of months, shift your thinking to the beauty of simplicity. The “consciousness of seasonality,” as Brown calls it, can bring myriad benefits to one’s health and mood. “Hard science backs up that people feel and do better when connected with nature,” says Brown. Even in the dead of winter. A birch tree or Amur maple set against the backdrop of a fresh snow fall is beautiful, to be sure. Or a meticulously pruned mugho pine as the focal point in a frozen landscape is inspiring indeed. Ornamental grasses, to my eye, look wonderful all year long.
“The definition of a garden is a bounded landscape,” observes Brown. “A Japanese garden borrows scenes. A mountain in the distance, for example. Simplicity and space between things create a sense of stillness and stillness is certainly a term synonymous with winter.
Winter is also the perfect time to study the architectural elements within the garden. Trees will have shed their leaves so the form and structure can be observed without ’embellishment’. Pruning can be undertaken almost anytime, except birch and maples that should be done in early fall rather than mid-winter. Coniferous trees are ideal to shape and prune in winter. And Brown’s bestselling book Quite Beauty. Japanese Gardens of North America (Tuttle) is certain to inspire the artist within us all.
Fall is an ideal time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials and of course, spring-flowering bulbs. Sooner rather than later is the mantra as plant material need to develop strong and healthy roots before the soil freezes. And in keeping with the Japanese garden vibe, err on the side of less is more. I choose to not cut back most perennials (delphinium and statice, for example) as they provide winter interest and will collect snow. Containers can look lovely with a simple ornamental kale or fall-flowering ‘mum’ being the single element. “Harvest” red twig dogwood branches, rose hips and cedar bows for winter container plantings.
This brings the gardening pages to a close for the season but we will be back next spring. And as always, I would like to close by sharing this inspiring poem:
The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer to God’s heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth
Dorothy Gurney
1858 – 1932
