Poinsettia: A Symbol of Love

Christmas is here, and we often see poinsettias decorating businesses and homes. Poinsettias grow wild in rainy, tropical regions of Central America, and Joel Poinsett, America's first ambassador to Mexico, brought the plant to our country in 1828.

Poinsettias are associated with Christmas because of the legend of Pepita, a poor Mexican child. In her village, people would bring presents to the chapel at Christmas and put them around the nativity to honor Christ. Little Pepita could not afford to buy a gift so she gathered a bouquet of local weeds and lovingly placed them at the foot of the manger. Onlookers were astonished when the leaves of the weeds turned to brilliant red. Since then the poinsettia is a reminder that Christ is honored, not by expensive gifts and glittery show, but by our love.

Poinsettias also are a symbol of God's love for us. The red of the traditional poinsettia symbolizes the blood of Jesus, and the central seeds resemble the crown of thorns he wore upon the cross. These remind us of God's complete love for his creation. Christmas is very much wrapped up with Easter. Our fallen world is in a mess, separated from its Creator, but God was willing to step down from Heaven and become one of us. He suffered the same trials and penalties we experience, ultimately facing and conquering our worse enemy, death. There is hope, because the baby Jesus grew up and acted as our representative, accepting our sins upon himself as he died upon the cross. Of course, his death would not have meant much if he had stayed dead. But he didn't. On the third day after his death he rose from the grave. We have many eyewitness accounts from people who saw him, touched him, and ate with him after his resurrection. Although God's work is not done and evil still reigns for a while yet upon the earth, we have God's promise that his perfect gift is coming. Peace on Earth, good will toward men! Hallelujah!

Merry Christmas to all, and in the busyness of the season, may you focus on the true meaning of the holiday. May your hearts be filled with love and peace.   Deborah

The End of Fall

Fall clings to the landscape, though the leading edge of winter has arrived here in Helena. Icy winds have stripped most deciduous trees of their color, if not entirely of their leaves, and many plants are dormant, vital under the comfort of the soil but leaving brown carcasses of their former selves above.

I have watched the end come, watched the colors blaze and then fade. Changes have come quickly over the past two weeks.

Acer palmatum dissectum 'Seiryu' was the last Japanese maple to show its fall colors, and even now this tree is brilliant against the drab colors of its neighbors.

Other Japanese maple leaves are barely holding to their branches or are already fallen:

After several hard frosts, some knockout roses in the herb bed still bloom. Here is what they looked like only two weeks ago:

During the week of Thanksgiving the woodland garden was bordered in warm shades of gold and tan:

The Japanese maple 'Orido Nishiki" was a blaze of color over the blue bridge:

This week there were sharp shadows in the cold air of the woodlands. Colorful leaves still clung to 'Orido Nishiki', contrasting with the bright green of the moss path. I think after this weekend they will be gone.

Southern magnolia leaves stand out against the trunks and branches in the woodlands behind them. I will use leaves like these in some of my Christmas decorations:

The end of fall is not ugly. There is a stark beauty in naked limbs and dried seed heads, and there is still plenty of color in evergreen foliage and winter blooms and berries:1st row: Camellia 'Leslie Ann'; Nandina domestica. 2nd row: Decorative kale; Daphne odora 'Marginata'. 3rd row: Viburnum carlesii, fall foliage; Old azalea, unknown variety. 4th row: Rose hip, 'Penelope'; Skeletal remains of onion chives.

Winter may stamp out the last of fall tonight, as temperatures fall far below freezing. I won't be sad. I have a new coat, and I know this is true: We play with winter here. We build fires in our fireplaces and eat hot homemade soup. We celebrate Christmas and New Years and watch lots of football. We wonder if there may be snow. We curl up with our lovers, and if there is no lover there is always a good book or movie. We sometimes complain as much as Northerners, who know winter in its truest and harshest form, but in a couple of months we'll be talking about spring. And that is something to look forward to!