Stuck In Neutral

Do you love neutral colors? Most of us do. Neutral colors bring a sense of soft and subdued. But for those who love their flower gardens, the pang is in us. The brilliant colors we treasure shall be fading soon. Call it a gardener's sixth sense. Once the leaves fade, that wash of ‘neutral’ becomes more prevalent. We subconsciously experience a lot less color throughout our day, getting stuck in neutral because we inevitably see more beige and grey. As Howard Zinn reminds us on this Friday morning, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” So in order to get some seasonal interest, let’s perk things up. Care to change your red caboose to yellow this morning? Yes, I’m on that color theme so let’s take a peek at introducing some golden berries into your seasonal garden scene.

This recent +Proven Winners Berry Heavy® Gold - Winterberry - Ilex verticillata offers everything that I love about Winterberry but of course, you guessed it. It’s the yellow/gold berries I absolutely love. As Proven Winners noted on their Pinterest Board, it’s ‘the perfect plant for New Year’s Eve arrangements.’ 

But before we pull out of the station on our yellow caboose, there’s a few more train stops. The celebration must be put on hold. It’s back to neutral, just for a bit. This particular Ilex verticillata won’t be available until 2015. Ugh – one more test of our garden patience but rest assure, it’s worth the wait. Imagine these golden berries adding fall and winter interest to your planting plans. Plus there’s another great cause besides its Proven Winner stamp. Per their website, “Ten cents from each plant sold is donated to support the Nature Conservancy.” Supporting a good cause plus a great plant - in my book, it’s worth the extra test of patience. 

In the meantime, immerse yourself in something colorful. And enjoy what’s still blooming in the landscape, even if it’s what we normally take for granted. Thank you my black-eyed Susan for making this overcast Friday bright and cheery.

Image of Rudbeckia hirta, black-eyed Susan blooming in the fall garden by Ann Bilowz ©

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