evergreen

the holiday wreaths at our locally owned garden center boast a magnificent scent and lovely shades of green; the greenery is a combination of fir, balsam, juniper and cedar. 

i hang the wreaths on the lamposts and door at the beginning of december and usually leave them up for a few months. one year, though, the wreaths greeted spring, and they stayed exactly as their name implies -evergreen. i have heard that birds will occasionally nest in a wreath if it remains in a quiet and undisturbed location through nesting season.

i like displaying the wreaths for a long time. a coating of fresh snow on the deep green brings out the wreath's wintery lushness. (there is no coating of fresh snow around here, though...only rain, rain. rain....) the greens will remain outdoors all winter; they are simply too beautiful to toss in the compost heap too soon. who knows, maybe i will even leave one out until summer this year and see if any feathered friends take up residence....