Just when I thought the freezing cold temperatures were the worst weather related calamity that could happen to our gardens I read about the 40 below wind chill in Chicago and I realized how fortunate we are to be here in Beaufort. Even with the unprecedented cold and ice and what appears to be a sea of dead looking plants outside, our camellia flowers continue to open and we get to look out our windows every day and see beauty, color and fresh new life. But, about that sea of dead looking plants . . .

Like many another scion of Celtic forebears, I celebrate the arrival of the Winter Solstice; like many another gardener, I rejoice in the coming of the coldest, darkest days of the year. To be sure, I complain about the cold, lament the lack of sunlight, and crave the warm sunny days of summer still to come.

They are everywhere right now. Amaryllis, Christmas Cactus, the ubiquitous Poinsettia, cyclamens, even tiny evergreens. They started bombarding our senses shortly after Halloween and well before Thanksgiving. You still have a grand selection and they seem to be available wherever you shop. Nurseries, garden centers, grocery stores, convenience stores, even the pharmacies are awash in them.