Photography – Lauri Hawley

Rhododendron Insights: Adapting to Life’s Seasons

I was worried earlier this winter when all of my smaller-leafed rhododendrons had turned burgandy and curled up tightly. Had I killed them by pruning them too deeply after they flowered last year?

Rhododendron leaves curled up and brown against a backdrop of snow

I’ve written before about senescence, in which the rhodies’ older leaves turn yellow and fall off in the autumn. Even the evergreens lose their leaves and needles sometimes!

My Winter Forest Discovery

When I look out my kitchen window, I can see a little tree in the distance still holding onto its golden leaves deep into the winter cold.

Broadening My Harvest Horizons

It’s only January, but I’m dreaming of pruning around my yard. I don’t know what it is about pruning, but I love it as much as weeding (which is a lot, let me tell you)!

There’s so much opportunity to put the shears and loppers to work–forsythia, tons of lilacs, and wild grapevines.

Discovering Holiday Joy: Nature’s Ice Needles

What I saw last week is in my top ten list of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. It was a few days after my last foggy post, when we had almost three and a half inches of rain. The temperature had dropped to highs below freezing over the next several days, with lows in the teens. Look at what I discovered in the ground!

Experiencing Love in Everyday Moments

I drove to have coffee with a friend a few days ago. Snow was still on the ground from several days before, but this day was warm and drizzly. I passed through a few thick patches of fog on my way through the hills. I was struck by all the phases of water I was seeing at the same time through the windshield: solid snow banks and icicles clinging to the side of rocky cliffs, banks of fog barely pierced by my headlights, and wet drizzle pelting the windows.

Experiencing Peace: From Snowflakes to Spirituality

We only had to wait a few days after my last post for a good snowfall! The peace of a snowy morning always amazes me. The spaces between the snow crystals absorb sound, muting the regular noises of the neighborhood.