After four very early freezes (very early for north Florida), most of our hardwoods have shed nearly all their leaves. Although our oaks do lose leaves, they are bare for only the briefest of periods, and are still providing a green backdrop at this time. On this clear, sunny day I wanted to document the last leaves as they danced in the sunlight. The purple plum above will hold its burgundy display the longest of all the hardwoods, and it looks quite full even though the ground is covered with the leaves it has already shed.
This display at the very top of our largest sycamore shows such a lovely variety of color this year. Normally the sycamores are bare here before the first frost.
The same sycamore against the oaks by the road with the already brown dogwood in the foreground.
The garden got hit early, and is down for the count til spring. Only the rosemary remains green and robust. The river birch has only two or three golden leaves left, but this tree is beautiful in any season.
Our smallest sycamore is not to be forgotten with its last leaves standing at attention in the bright sunlight. All of these trees pictured have been planted in the six years we have lived on this property. These and many others we also planted are thriving and growing faster than we dared to hope. There is room for a few more, so next year we may have more and different last leaves to photograph.
Even though it is barely winter, I can't wait for spring. I miss my garden and my hummingbirds, the flowers, and the expectation of re-birth. I like the winter and fall because my chores in the garden become minimal. But the spring, when I await the arrival of the hummers and the budding of the trees and perennials....well, you just can't compare that with anything I can think of. These empty pots represent the hope of spring. I dug up all of the roses that refused to bloom. I had already given them three chances. That's all you get in my yard. But I always give a verbal warning so nothing is a surprise to the roses. These pots will be homes for perennials in the spring...perennials that will be attractors to butterflies, caterpillars, and hummingbirds.
This rose is the survivor rose because it was blooming. It is a Knock-Out rose that blooms profusely, needs very little maintenance, and is generally a wonderful plant. I did not dig it up. It will be beautiful in the spring. All I did was to remove the whiskey barrel wooden pot (which had rotted) from around the plant and give it my good wishes.
This blue ball is the only real color in the garden at this time of year. It is the hope of the multi-colors of the spring garden. When that time comes, I will complain about the weeds and the need to water constantly. But for now, I dream about spring.
