'in the bleak midwinter'

​WHEN THE SKIES ARE GREY, THE WATER IS GREY AND EVEN THE THE TREES ARE GREY, IS THERE ANYTHING OUT THERE THAT MIGHT CHEER US UP?

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Would it better if everything was white as in the northern hemisphere winter?  This is something I wonder every winter. Of course there is plenty of snow in the mountains if you can get there!  That pure clean white environment can lift your spirits, like the mucky grey down below never could.  Make any wonder skiers can't get up there quickly enough. 
   ​​​​But sadly, we are very seldom a complete white blanket as in Scandinavia or Russia or North America.  Would the pure bright freezing white of winter in those northern countries be more uplifting than the sombre grey of a cloudy winter day here in the South Island of New Zealand? 

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And is the twiggy tangle of bare branches as beautiful as the snow laden branches of northern climes?

Instead, we put up with the depressing and chilly greyness of life in a Christchurch winter,  hoping for the sun to shine.  And of course it does.   Eventually! 
In between the greyness we do get crisp bright sunlight after
​frosty mornings -
 sometimes. 
 

WE JUST DON'T GET THE WHITE

​ PURITY OF SNOW!

Even though those fir or cedar trees of the northern hemisphere are evergreen like our native trees, look how they are designed to cope with snow - their branches naturally drooping so they are not so inclined to break under the weight. And their foliage is not lush and green like our evergreen native foliage, but is merely needles and dark green needles at that, covered in a waxy substance which protects them, making them tough and slippery so that the snow slides off them easily.

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Pure Dr. Zhivago isn't it?   Yuri might come galloping through those white birches at any minute in his eagerness to see Lara. 
Would the pure clean whiteness of northern winters lift our spirits more than this dreary greyness!  I think it might, because despite the inconveniences and difficulties of day to day life with snow, people say that they are 'geared to it' in northern countries - And know how to manage it.  Something I don't think we have ever accomplished here in NZ. ​ Probably because we have not really needed to.
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We don't have the drama of snow but there are reflections - even 

if they, too, are grey 
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Dried brown winter leaves and detritus can look positively sparkling against grey water in a grey gutter.   

​​If you are lucky there might be a puddle as well, which can reflect - even if it is only of the grey sky and bare branches above.  Magically grey sky can look blue when reflected in puddles!  Especially when contrasted with brown dried leaves which in comparison can sparkle!

This garden is so winter - all labels and a few well placed rocks and hardly anything else!  It does look bare right now, but those labels do spell hope!  They tell us there is something live under the ground, which will come up after winter, when the sun starts to shine again. So if there are labels there must be something special under there to warrant a label!  Even though it looks empty and drab right now, there is a sense of expectation. What will it look like in spring and summer?  What plant treats are there under the ground, to look forward to?

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Helleborus lividus subsp. corsica

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​​In between these bare branches, lime green Helleborus corsica shines  like a soft green light amongst the grey and brown.  And one which almost flaunts it's flowers, unlike the lower growing Helleborus orientalis, which hides it's beautiful little faces so modestly. 
This taller, more robust variety is said to originate on the island of Corsica, where Napoleon was born, so make any wonder it is 'out there'.
​It is also incredibly easy to grow, and could conquer other plants, just like Napoleon. It can seed and pop up in all sorts of places, as in the photo where it's intertwined with the roots of a deciduous shrub.

Pseudowintera colorata - or Horopito also known as the Pepper tree.

Helleborus orientalis appears beneath the brown winter garb of Hydrangeas.

​Helleborus orientalis is the perfect antidote to those frosted brown flowerheads of Hydrangea macrophylla in winter mode.  You could be forgiven for thinking that the Hydrangea had died and gone to heaven. 
But no - it's just resting for winter, and actually takes quite a while to come back to life again, when green buds start to appear along it's branches later in the spring.
Originating in Greece the delicate flowers of Helleborus orientalis appearing in the middle of winter are part of the Buttercup family, but not in yellow.  H. orientalis appear in muted shades of pink white and burgundy, and appears just when we need it most, adding much needed colour.  Yet the colour is in accordance with winter - there is no flamboyance - just muted and quiet. Enough to add some life beneath the bare branches of brown Hydrangea bushes.   

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​And then there are Evergreens

​We don't always need flowers to give us colour in winter, as there is also some colourful foliage out there as well.
And one of the most colourful is amongst our native evergreens.
This is a medium sized shrub known by it's Maori name as Horopito.   It's much less attractive botanical name is Pseudowintera colorata, but it is often called the Pepper Bush, as the leaves are strongly aromatic and spicy when crushed.  Seldom reaching more than 1.5 metres in height with it's colourful evergreen foliage, it is wonderful plant for enlivening a shrub border in winter.

Daphne odora 'Alba'

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 Most gardeners know about Daphne odora, that smallish evergreen shrub which drenches the late winter garden with such a delicious scent.   We usually associate Daphne with a pinkish burgundy flower,  but it is this is Daphne odora 'Alba', the pure white version which I can't resist as it heralds the new season with such perfection and honesty, flowering in July and filling the air with it's heady perfume.   
I lust after a Daphne bush for my garden, but it doesn't like me! 
I have planted several and they always expire.  I have tried growing it in acid loving areas, in neutral areas, even in limey areas, but no matter what I do - it expires!
​For me, it's just like falling in love with the one who doesn't love you back!