Things are starting to look up, gardeners! On Saturday, December 21, at around 10:19 p.m., we will go through the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and after that, the days will begin to get longer again. What is the winter solstice?
This is when the North Pole is tilted the farthest away from the sun that it will be all year, resulting in the shortest day and least hours of sunlight, and the longest night of the year. After that, the tilt changes and we begin having more sun each day. 聽
This is a very interesting phenomenon, because the solstice happens everywhere on earth at the same time.聽 But the outcome is different depending where you are. If we were in the 麻豆视频ern hemisphere, we鈥檇 be saying 鈥淕鈥橠ay, mate鈥� to our friends for the longest day of the year. And if we were in the 麻豆视频 Pole, we鈥檇 be having a day that lasted twenty four hours.
Let鈥檚 go back, thousands of years ago, and learn about what the winter solstice meant to the people of the time. Poor things, it was a very cold and dark time, but they saw it as a time when the sun would be reborn with renewed strength. Do you ever wonder why this time around Christmas and the solstice is called 鈥淵ule鈥�? That came from the Norse word for wheel, 鈥淛ul鈥�, which signified the passage of days, nights and the year.聽 During this time, plants that stayed 鈥渆vergreen鈥� were very symbolic that life would continue on: spruce boughs, holly, and pinecones were brought indoors to show that there was new life.
We can do the same to mark the solstice: why not bring in a branch or two of spruce or pine?聽 their main requirement is water, so tuck them in a beautiful vase on your kitchen table, and you will be pleased with the quiet elegance of this simple presentation. To make them last longer, be sure that they are not near a furnace vent or in direct sun and you can even mist them a bit every few days.
Pine cones are miracles of nature: they are beautiful on a wreath or in an arrangement, but simply stunning all on their own. Try putting them in a tall, cylindrical vase and see what a statement that makes or have them in a beautiful bowl.
And some gardening friends have showed me pictures of outdoor winter arrangements that they have made: absolutely beautiful! Get a solid planter, fill it with soil or crumpled chicken wire, and tuck in spruce boughs, shapely twigs, or thin birch stems. Once you have this base, you can leave it as is or add in large Christmas balls, or a bright and cheery bow, or both! These outdoor winter planters are so inviting and welcoming by our entryways!
There are so many significant plants for this time of year. I think of the delicious poppy pastries that Sweet Pea used to make for Christmas, and guess what! I saw the poppy seeds listed in the T & T seed catalogue.聽 The poppy seed in the kutia for Christmas Eve鈥o simple, so delicious, so very special. The kutia itself: I remember what a special event it was to clean the wheat; it is always linked in my mind as a special memory of Christmas preparations.聽 Parsley: Mom always brought in a potted container of parsley in the fall, and how delicious it smelled and tasted for our turkey! Beets: hot, fragrant and wonderful borscht. Cabbage: Mom鈥檚 melt-in-your-mouth cabbage rolls. They say fragrances are a strong trigger of memory. So true: certain aromas take me back instantly to Mom鈥檚 warm and bright kitchen, and the thousands of memories and love that was always there. I will never forget all those blessings.
Find out what鈥檚 happening with the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society by visiting our website at www.yorktonhort.ca.聽 Have a great week!
