GARDEN FANATIC:Plan now, plant soon for holidays

“It’s a pleasure to share one’s memories. Everything remembered is dear, endearing, touching, precious.”— Susan Sontag — Virgil

“Nunc scio quit sit amor.”

Memories…. Catherine and I recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Ever thoughtful and sensitive, Catharine articulated the image of children at war in the Middle East and their daily struggle for survival.

As we both stared at our sumptuous dinner plates, Catharine, overcome with emotion, pushed her meal aside. Concerned but hungry, I returned my focus to the champagne and rack of lamb.

As we approach the year’s end, I start musing about what the next 51 days will bring, and I am concerned. Not about the repudiation of President Bush, the war in Iraq or even Design Review — these anxieties are secondary. Instead, I worry about how the garden will look for the holidays.

We all want our garden to be beautiful for the upcoming season, for the enjoyment of our family, friends and neighbors. Not only will it reflect our good taste, but also it demonstrates that we don’t want to be the blight of the neighborhood.

Although Christmas may be an over-sanguine target for garden perfection, the fall and winter garden has its considerable charms, and one needs to plan now and plant soon.

Seasonal planting habits and a certain cautiousness lead many gardeners to use the same commonplace plants every holiday. They claim that there isn’t time to learn about new plants or risk experimenting in the garden. I say try planting something different, so you can enjoy the plants long after the holidays have ended.

As a starter, I will be planting pineapple sage, Salvia elegans, on my deck. Not only will they provide the requisite showy red flowers, the leaves can be used to flavor the eggnog and garnish my mother’s holiday fruit salad. This hardy perennial grows to 2 to 3 feet and does well either in planting beds or containers.

Nearly everblooming in Laguna, Scaevola Alba provides showy white flowers as a groundcover or planted in a hanging basket. Other scaevolas can be found in nurseries, varying in color from blue to purple. They all require very little care and prefer full sunlight.

To provide berries for our wreath, I’ve planted California Holly (Heteromeles arbutifolia), which also serves to block our neighbor’s lovely trash cans. A native to our environs, it is covered with red berries from November to January. Growing naturally as a dense shrub or pruned into a small tree, California Holly is useful as a screen or hillside planting.

Related to the snapdragon, Garden Penstemon (Penstemon gloxiniodes) brings a showy display of pink, rose, lilac and white flowers throughout the year. They thrive in well-draining soil and will grow either in full sun or partial shade. Sprawling in rock gardens, penstemon can also be trimmed as an attractive border plant.

You must plant Iceland Poppies (Papaver nudicaule) this month for color by Christmas. I just can’t resist their spectacular and brilliant flowers. The florists at English Gardens tell me they make an excellent cut flower.

Catharine eventually returned to her dinner, declaring that she “would defend us from the bullies and evil-doers for as long as it takes.” I love and trust her and know she will always make a difference. Besides, it is comforting, as a husband, to walk beside my wife and not ever feel afraid. See you next time.