 Evergreen Scene It’s a pine! It’s a cedar! It’s a….evergreen of sorts. Now that our deciduous trees have given up the ghost until spring, let’s take this opportunity to learn about some of the towering stars of the current show, evergreen trees. Here in Virginia we can find pines, cedar, spruce, yew, and even redwoods. Let’s take a look at how we can easily tell the difference between these sometimes pungent, sometimes prickly trees. Pines like to give their needles buddies. If the tree has needles in groups of two, three, or five you can bet it’s a pine. If you pluck a needle and it doesn’t readily roll between your fingers, it’s probably a fir. If the needles are long and in groups of 3, that’s our native loblolly. Five needles gives you a white pine and two needles that are trying to entwine with each other tells you it’s our namesake, the Virginia Pine. When it comes to cedar we have a juniper. Our native Eastern Redcedar is actually in the juniper family which is why you may think of gin when you smell the crushed small blue berries growing with its scaly leaves. Virginia’s endangered northern flying squirrels are definitely familiar with our native Red Spruce, also known as a Yellow Spruce just to keep things confusing. Though they probably don’t need to stop and check for the 4-sided, short, yellowish-green needles on pegs. Janet Douberly wrote this article to help her learn how to ID conifers and hopes it helps you too. This article was first published in the January 2024 edition of Front Porch Magazine. To view the full publication visit www.frontporchfredericksburg.com
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 There is a Season
Sometimes in our very busy world, it is easy to forget that we came from nature and we are still a part of nature. Underneath our sweaters and Starbucks beats a heart that longs to follow nature’s rhythms. Those of us who garden and spend time in nature, see these rhythms play out year after year and even we can get caught up in our human-made mantra of “Go! Go! Go!”. Afterall, bosses have deadlines for us, Target has sales for us, plane seats have tickets for us, how could we possibly deny the pull of the world we created? But every once in a while, if you’re really lucky, you can answer winter’s call to slow down, to breathe, to reassess, and to make plans. Gardeners in our area are already doing it to some level. Our beloved beds are sleeping and waiting (and still growing kale?!?!) while we sit inside dreaming of and planning next year’s garden. Picking our plants, ordering our seeds, and fantasizing about little green shoots popping through the pungent and barely warmed soil. Of course, we here at Downtown Greens are following this rhythm. This past year was another doozy in a long line of doozies. But now nature and our gardens have slowed down to slumber. And while we aren’t slumbering, we are taking a moment to create plans for our plans. The 56 acres is protected and paid for. The mad race to raise the money and jump through paperwork hoops is over. Step 1, the very biggest step, is complete. And now, in the deep of winter, we are cuddled up (metaphorically, nothing weird) making plans, writing out details, and preparing for the next season. We are always aware and amazed by the fact that the plans being made now wouldn’t be feasible without the support of the community we serve. We are so excited for the next season and hope you will join us and support us in the seasons to come. May your winter be restful. Janet Douberly is Media Manager and Garden Advisor at Downtown Greens. This article was first published in the January 2024 edition of Front Porch Magazine. To view the full publication visit www.frontporchfredericksburg.com |
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February 2024
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