St Peters RC Church Hamilton

All has gone rather quiet after Christmas,

The days delightfully celebratory.

Seek then a rewarding adventure,

Be happy to venture outside.

If a gardener, remain at home.

If not, roam and find a garden open

To the delight of visitors,

Very well able to excite any onlooker.

A garden in January,

What a beauty!

Low light strikingly sunny

Emphasising textures clearly, boldly, remarkably,

Backlighting grasses atmospherically.

Winter pots have their own glory,

Telling a story of possibly bright berries,

Missed by hungry birds fortunately,

Sat set amidst evergreen or waxy weather resistant foliage.

‘Skimmia japonica’ are popular being best for berries.

The pledge of a pot in its transportability,

Able to be moved whenever a need dictates,

For there is a need for colourful impact.

The ‘Camellia Williamsii’ is a regular stunner,

With glossy leaves and pale pink flowers,

Although usually you have to wait until late winter

For the buds to burst and flower magnificently.

Pots placed next to a house where the temperature is warmer,

Will usually offer the planned, hoped for splash of colour.

‘Saraccoca’ and a winter flowering clematis,

Set off by furry pussy willows are not just a beauty,

But temptingly tactile and clearly showy.

Cyclamen withstand the cold very well indeed,

Whilst heuchera and heucherellas in their subtle colours

Will even withstand freezing nights. How grand!

If wanting, hunting for a winter show stopper,

Then you need look no further than the bossdom of witch hazel.

With shaggy, raggy, spidery flowers of rich gold,

Bold against the stark stems so bare.

When underplanted with winter aconites or snowdrops,

In their ever dainty, pretty, pristine white crops,

The sheer number dazzles and delights,

Of all the winter delights, my favourite sight.

Helleborus is the lengendary Christmas rose which grows in singles and

doubles,

In purple, several shades of pink, pale green, butter yellow and bright white,

Mostly plain but sometimes showily spotted,

What a winter tapestry of outstanding beauty.

If subtle somewhat hidden scent is your delight,

Then seek out the ‘Saraccoca Confusa’ called ‘winterbox’,

Which unlocks its fragrance from white flowers

Daintily in bloom December to March amidst shiny evergreen foliage,

What distinctive winter beauty is to be found.

You only have to go out and about and look around!

Nature bared her beauty boldly, yet modestly,

Colours muted, shapely silhouettes flouted.

Lord, I used to think of winter as such a dull, uninviting season. Then through the eyes of faith You taught me to see differently. I discovered much that would cause me to say, even in winter, ‘What a beauty!’ Thank

You for Your generosity of love which always helps us to make the most of life. Amen.

CATEGORY: (NATURE, Winter)

WINTER

NATURE