Chimonanthus Praecox

Photo by Jim Mays on Flickr.

This waxy flowering mound is also known as "winter-sweet" due to its striking aroma throughout the cold winter months. Ketzel Levine describes it as "neither cloying nor overpowering, but lemonlike and spicy" and suggests it for indoor aromatic use. It only blooms in the Spring and seems highly unremarkable in its dormant state, although one must always remark upon encountering its 

White Christmas

I've been dreaming of roses in the snow.

Ilex Aquifolium

As a nod to the continuation of the holiday season I thought it pertinent to post about Holly, as I myself knew little to nothing about the plant itself nor was I familiar with its origins within the Christmas tradition.

An overview: Ilex aquiforium, or European holly, originated in the south of Europe and eventually spread through that continent, making its way to Australia. Although its berries are toxic to humans, birds have no trouble digesting them, which appears particularly attractive for the shrub bears fruit throughout much of the winter season. As for its status as a holiday mainstay, holly was first used as a representation within the Christian tradition when Oliver Cromwell claimed power in England after the execution of King Charles I; his reign would last almost a decade (1649-1658). Puritanism was proclaimed as the nation's religion, forcing Christians to develop unobtrusive ways to worship as they desired. It was during this time that holly came to represent the crown of thorns worn by Christ, and its berries Christ's blood, for Christians used the boughs of this evergreen as a reminder of their savior's birth, suffering, and death.

First Frost

Photo (c) the Christian Science Monitor.

Halloween weekend and the Northeast saw its first snow of the season. New York City experienced record snowfall (around eight inches), which was accompanied by formidable gusts of wind and temperatures which dropped twenty to thirty degrees overnight. Hundreds of trees succumbed to the mounting weight of the snow, slush, and ice, causing particular trouble for the city's public parks, which all closed in order to prevent any unnecessary accidents.

Also, according to the New York Daily News, "more than 2.2 million (Con Ed) customers lost power form Maryland to Massachusetts." This was a storm reminiscent of those I'd experienced throughout my childhood in Ohio, full of rage and beauty and surprise - the kind that kept me up at night to watch the powder pile upon itself in steady increments and wonder how it would feel to scoop up a handful at dawn and, gloveless, shove the frozen heap into my mouth. These are the kinds of storms that Midwesterners come to live for.