Winter greenery adds beauty throughout the season

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "Each moment of the year has its own beauty." This is something to keep in mind as our days shorten, clocks fall behind and there is a cold bite in the air.

At this point in the season, some of us are done putting our gardens to bed for the winter and have mulched our leaves into compost. The spring bulbs are settled in the earth ready to explode into a mass of color in the spring. Each year it's amazing how quickly one season slips into another and a new year is upon us.

Now is the season for fresh greens, garland, holiday trees and beautiful containers to decorate your doorstep. Adorning your outside is just as important as making the inside cozy for winter. It's an effective way to fight off the darkness and gives us much needed color during the bland days of January.

Here at Lurvey Garden Center, each season is anticipated and appreciated by staff and we all have our favorites. Just as quickly as the seasons pass, so do the current trends.

Many of you over the last 18 months have worked on your yards and embraced growing your own vegetable and herbs during the pandemic. One of the trends we've seen this year has been a surge in container gardening, not only because it's convenient and versatile, it's also great for small spaces. It adds instant color quickly and gives satisfaction immediately.

Be bold and combine both edibles and ornamentals in the same container for interesting textures.

Of course, with everyone working from home last year, our ever-popular house plants are even more popular as people attempt to make their make shift home offices inviting and cheerful.

In this current season of fresh greens and holiday trees, we've seen an upswing of customers purchasing Western pulp pots that are made of recycled, biodegradable material and can be used as is for a rustic look, or dropped into a more decorative vessel. They last several seasons and are an inexpensive way to grow some of those herbs and veggies on your patio.

Another popular container this past season have been self-watering containers, which make watering a much simpler task over the hot summer season but are not ideal for cold freezing temps.

Our Grab n' Go container team has started to build holiday containers fast and furiously, in not only the Western pulp pots, but a variety of other styles as well. From modern sleek urns to rustic metal, they are covering all the bases and have them available daily.

A style we've seen Deborah Silva from Detroit Gardens Works use before is to enhance your winter greens with cabbage and kale. Typically we think of cabbage and kale as a fall plant but based on our experience, cabbages still look great all the way into February because they are extremely cold tolerant. An ornamental cabbage with its frilly edges and vibrant color, covered in frost is stunning and pairs so well with mixed greens.

Another cold season look borrowed from Europe that's beginning to be more popular is to wrap your containers for winter. Although some do this to protect the containers from cold, many are taking those bright summer colors and giving them a stylish winter coat to blend better with our winter colors. So grab some burlap or natural colored wool and wrap your container and add a bow or sash to create a whole new look this season!

When adorning your winter containers, shop for a vast array of sticks and accents to make a statement. We have a diverse customer base at Lurvey's in Des Plaines and have something for everyone. From dried mushrooms, yarrow and fantail willow, to Dr. Seuss-like whirligigs and jingtinglers, all shiny and bright.

Do you need bright blue? Or maybe pink? Or do you need some traditional red? Our covered shopping area has a beautiful selection to choose from.

As the naturalist Hal Borland said: "There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogs."

So as you cozy up this winter, also embrace the winter days and enjoy the season. Before you know it, you'll be waiting for those spring bulbs to explode from the warming ground.