Winter In The Garden

Bare tree branches, the remnants of snow, brown prairie grass, flattened but still green ferns, holly with red berries, and evergreens heavy with pinecones. This is my winter garden on a gray day in mid-winter, yet the birds are performing a winter song, squirrels are wildly tracking through the yard, and early ground cover is starting to emerge. Although the winter garden is still alive in many ways, flowers and foliage are months away in Northeast Ohio.

An expensive Florida vacation is one solution, but if the Everglades aren't on your agenda, you can find some joy in local gardens created just for these dismal times. In Greater Cleveland, we're lucky to have the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, the Cleveland Greenhouse, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Greenhouse and Rainforest, and not just one, but two, home and garden shows to perk us up during the sleeping season.

Last winter my daughter and I sat on stools in the lush indoor gardens of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens to draw bromeliads during a water color pencil workshop. The gardens also offer weekly tai chi and yoga classes in the gardens, which should help chase away the winter blues. Information on classes, like "Botanical Arts: Winter Escape," is available on the Garden's website, but visitors can be cheered by the gardens in the Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10-5 and Sundays from 12-5. Don't miss the fifth annual Sustainability Symposium 2010 on Saturday, February 6 from 9-4 where participants will be shown how to make good choices for this year's growing season under the direction of sustainability expert Joe Lamp'l of PBS's GardenSMART.

The first time our family stumbled upon the Cleveland Greenhouse, we couldn't get over the price--it's completely free. Even the outdoor gardens are worth a stroll during the winter. Indoors you'll find ferns and tropical fruit trees, baby tears ground cover and bromeliads, and the enchanting Japanese Garden complete with running water and a pond. The City Greenhouse was conceived in 1902 on a portion of the 270 acres of land donated by John D. Rockefeller on a hill above the Cultural Gardens. The Greenhouse is open daily from 10-4.

One of my favorite outdoor gardens is at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where I find the gardeners informative about perennials native to northern Ohio, like Pinkroot and Jacob's Ladder, and have discovered that Northern Pampus Grass and Scotland Tufted Hair Grass found in the African Savanna can grow here as well. The website lists the Zoo's specialty gardens and demonstrates the Metroparks' commitment to highlighting the relationship between plants and man. The Medicine Trail inside The RainForest contains plants that are the source for many of the medicines we require to keep healthy, like the guava, which has 2-5 times the amount of Vitamin C found in an orange. The colors inside The Public Greenhouse are not as intense during the winter, but the varying green of ivy and peperornias with the flowering hibiscus and bougainvillea are cheery. The Zoo is open from 10-5 daily.

The IX Center is offering a new show this year to get you in the mood for Spring--the Great Big Home and Garden Expo--with feature gardens and building products and custom-built model homes. From February 6-14, the show will feature more than 600 retailers, advice from leading home experts, and lots of inspiration. I already think my favorite garden might be the retreat designed by Earth and WaterScape, which is going to create a rustic style with a firepit. Hours are 9-9 on Saturdays, 10-5 the first Sunday, 10-6 the second Sunday, and 11-9 on weekdays.

Back in my own garden, it's time for a walk now that I've been inspired. The ground cover on my lawn is more blue than green, the evergreen shrubs are dotted with tiny cones, and the rhododendron are alive with protected buds. I can't wait for spring to arrive, but in the meantime, I'm planning.

Dream a little, of spring. Find the Cleveland Botanical Gardens at http://www.cbgarden.org/; find the Cleveland Greenhouse at http://www.rockefellergreenhouse.org/; find the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo at http://www.clemetzoo.com/; and find the Great Big Home & Garden Expo at http://www.ixcenter.com/calendar/Great_Big_Home_Garden_Expo?A=.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia Taller, whose passion for words has led to creation of the Lakeside Word Lover’s Retreats, an outgrowth of her work with Skyline Writers. Her favorite foods are red wine, salmon, ice cream, and chocolate. She loves to read, write, tour wineries, ride her bike, ease into yoga, and cook gourmet meals for friends. Find her at http://www.claudiatallermusings.blogspot.com.