Keeping thematically pure with the lines of this post earlier today, this Chamaecyparis, one of a pair standing sentinel by our front door, forms the only holiday-like decorations outside the house this year. I may string some lights around the Japanese umbrella pine that stands slightly taller than me in our small front garden. No more than that though. Not this year.
If you have a similar set-up for the holidays, and want to draw out the beauty for as long as possible, and maybe even see the greenery through the winter, don’t forget to keep these slightly waters, especially if they’re covered by a roof, as these are. When the snow arrives, and it always does, I will grab some and cover the soil with it, allowing it to melt slowly and naturally as it would into the ground.
There’s still no guarantee or even likelihood that these will make it through the whole winter. Survival can only be counted on when the roots are secure and insulated beneath a healthy snow cover. Still, it’s worth a shot. And they make a beautiful spot of chartreuse splendor, especially as the morning sun weaves its way through the branches.
