Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Color In My Winter Garden

I’ve got color in my yard. Yes, December in Chicagoland and I have color! Granted, none of it is provided by flowers, but I’m not going to let that little detail stop my yard from being colorful. Certainly the snow has been a bit of a detriment to color in the garden. Or has it? Without the snow, this sunrise would not be the same.

Fortunately, I don’t rely on 10 minutes of possible sunrise glory to color my yard. I can’t match God’s work, but I’m not without talents. I did some painting earlier this year, and I leave a lot of my ironwork out. I know it won’t last as long, but I certainly enjoy the bright yellow of these items more now that when they are covered in flowers.

The yellow chair is a rose trellis all summer. Not now. Now I’m viewing my garden from a distance. The yellow looks good and the plants I didn’t cut down add interest too, as long as I don’t look too close to see that they are perhaps a bit past prime.

Likewise, the milk can was a nice background contrast for the bright yellow mums in the fall. It stays out to add winter interest as well.

If leaving your decorations out bothers you, I understand. They won’t last as long. I get it. It’s kind of like my Sugarland sweatshirt. I’m not wearing it because I want it to stay looking nice. It’s not really doing me any good in the closet, still I can’t get myself to have it look less than prime. Fortunately, I don’t feel that way about some of my garden items. I’m enjoying them now and they’ll minimally need a new coat of paint. That’s a good trade-off for me.

Do you want to know what else is blooming (or at least hopefully interesting) in the January garden? To see what other bloggers have blooming on the 15th of every month, visit May Dreams Gardens – Bloom Day for our Garden Bloggers’ Bloom day entries.

Join me at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show on March 17th, 12:30. I’ll be speaking on Winter Interest.