On the day that I wrote this article I wasn’t quite sure where my inspiration would come from. There are the happy holidays that seem like the obvious thing to write about. It seems like everything that can be said about that has already been said. Next week, the week of Christmas, I will write about some of the places I have spent some of my Christmas days in the past. We are decorated and plan to have the entire family together for Christmas Eve brunch. My family has grown so much this year with both of our children getting married and my nieces and nephews having babies. Mimi’s brother and his wife are grandparents so we will have some new shining, happy faces around the lit tree.
I’m really excited to have some little ones around this year to keep things even more interesting. We love the families that our new daughter-in-law and son-in-law come from so hopefully some of them will be able to make it to some of the festivities and add to the fun and play a little dirty Santa at the party. Mimi’s mother and hopefully mine will spend Christmas morning with us, that always makes it more fun to get into the spirit with them.
Mimi has taken on the daunting task of making the Christmas cards and calendars to give out to our family. The calendars have become a very important part of our gifting. Each page has photos of highlights from each month throughout the year. Every page has all the birthdays for that month of all the family, so we don’t forget to call each other on time. I don’t know how she keeps up with it all, but we have all become very reliant on those calendars. I am a lucky man to have a wife that cares so much and to have a family that cares enough to call each other on their special days. Mimi and I will spend the few days after Christmas in New Orleans visiting my brother and her “sister” dining out and shaking a leg at the annual Revivalist concert at the Orpheum Theater on New Year’s Eve. After that show, if we still have any juice left in us, we will head to Tipitinas to the annual Galactic show that goes into the rising sun hours of New Year’s Day. It’s getting harder every year to make it to that one, you never know. So, for someone who wasn’t going to write about Christmas stuff I just failed.
When I left work early to come home to write this article, I realized that it had been a while since I got home and there was some daylight left. My backyard color was singing mighty loudly, and the sun was shining on the colorful trees that I could see when I pulled down my driveway. I thought I would make a loop around my yard to see what might inspire me. Luckily, I had my camera with me since there were things going on in my yard that weren’t happening the last time, I saw my yard while the sun was up and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I don’t know if readers know that every week, I have photos that go along with every article on our website under our Life’s A Garden Blog. I walked around trying to get the best pictures of our plants that I could by letting that bright sunshine help me out with the crazy kaleidoscope of colors that is happening right now.
I think we are probably at a peak with the different plants showing off at the same time just before they drop their petticoats. Our maples are stealing the show at the moment. We have at least nine varieties of maples, each having their own hues of red and gold. The ones that grabbed my attention as I walked through the back gate were the native maples that we planted right on the edge of our woods years ago. They blend right in with the rest of the woodland trees until this time of year when they feel the need to be seen and heard. Boy, when they sing, they sing loud.
I was surprised at how big these had grown this past year. Just behind them is where we have a grove of Chinese parasol trees that have dropped their leaves and are left with nothing but their straight trunks like a cluster of totem poles. We light them in the winter months to show off their beautiful trunks. We have some maples that stay green most of the year then like overnight they turn blood red. We have some maples that stay red most of the year then turn scarlet red just before relenting to winter.
My favorite maples that we have are the coral bark varieties. Their leaves are mostly green all year until now when they turn bright gold, almost blinding during the daytime hours. When they are lit at night, they truly look like something is on fire. Right now and more so as it gets colder, the trunks and limbs of the coral barks get dark red, they are quite the sight when we get snow as the backdrop to the dark red limbs. It would be worth your time to check out my blog so you can see the photos of these incredible trees.
It’s too bad that the Chinese tallow trees or “popcorn trees” are so invasive. They really put on the biggest show in the Southeast, unfortunately they were introduced for their seed oil before anyone knew that they would outcompete native plants. The introducer also didn’t know that its leaves and fruit are toxic to livestock. Although they are blended in so well with our wooded areas in Mississippi, they are hard to see for most of the year, but you can’t miss them this time of year. Something will have to be figured out about getting rid of these trees before it’s too late if it’s not already. We have allowed one particularly beautiful specimen Chinese tallow to be on our property just for the outstanding fall show that they deliver.
I have been happily surprised about how much ornamental grass is being used in our landscapes around the state. I love what they do this time of year; they look great even when they aren’t in bloom. When they plume up this time of year and the muhly grass with its pink or white blooms put on their show it reminds me to plant more ornamental grasses. They are one of our easiest plants to use in a landscape since they really don’t have any real pest problems, they seem to rarely get thirsty, and their only real maintenance required is a cutback before spring rolls back around. I like to leave the seed heads on them through deep winter because of how beautiful they are when they are covered in frost or ice, they make great subjects for a photo.
Other plants in our yard that are doing it to it right now are our red oaks, blood red sumacs and the nandinas and hollies with their red berries. Another great red berry producing tree that is in our yard is the Chinese pistache. Apparently, we have two males and one female tree. The female tree produces red berries that are great for decorating with. I caught Mimi up in that tree the other day cutting berries for a wreath making class that she was conducting in her new pride and joy, The Dandelion.
The Dandelion is a special space that Mimi has created for our community to gather for whatever reason. She has regular seasonal appropriate classes as well as group meetings or celebrations. We have had children’s birthday parties, retirement parties, ladies’ luncheons and more in this very relaxed space that she has dreamt of for years. It finally came together when we renovated the whole place, she jumped on the opportunity to make her dream a reality. It has been quite a surprise to realize how many folks are looking for a place to meet.
We invite you to come to The Dandelion next time you are in and have a coffee and grab a book off the shelf or sit on a couch and watch the screen rolling with thousands of pictures of Garden Works’ 40-year history. The evolution and transformation of the place from when my parents owned it, from Discount Nursery to what it has become, is worth your time and a great place to chill if you have a little time between all the things you have to get done in a day. Mimi will be posting next year’s planned events soon, so you won’t miss out on the fun. You can go to our website, Martinsons Garden Works, and sign up to be on our Email list or if you’d rather not then look for it on our regular social media platforms. We love the community that we have grown up in and want to give our people a place to celebrate this wonderful part of Mississippi.
Happy winter and Merry Christmas, I am hoping this season is shining brightly for you and your families.
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