T'was the night before Christmas and all round the yard
Most plants are sleeping like Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
The beds are all mulched, piled high with old leaves
Protecting such gifts as my mom's 'Brazen Hussy'
Our roses are staked, their rambling branches secured
Against fierce winter storms the better endured
Rhodos and pieris lend green delight to the scene
But wet snow on branches, jump quick you must clean
Our clematis are tied to their trellises with care
As those fierce winds will likely not spare
Many clematis are not yet ready to prune
Until four, maybe five, months this side of June
The pond is winterized, pump removed and stored
But the waterfall repair is still on The List to be scored
Our two fish, Larry and Curly, will miss buddy Moe
Who sadly was dinner for a Great Blue Heron foe
No bird bath this season for our fine feathered friends
It is a cherished gift from our two-legged friends
Reason enough to put it away lest it freeze
A crack would ruin, not to be replaced with great ease
No beans, no peas left in the veg garden this season
The bed covered with clear plastic for very good reason
And come March we will sow seeds in the ground
Warmed by plastic for earlier harvest abound
Tomatoes, green and red, were plucked by our grandson and me
The greenhouse emptied for storing plants not meant to freeze
Dylan weighed them all before we packed the green ones away
In beer flats under newspaper to slowly ripen one day
The fruit trees have been barren of fruit a while now
Pears, apples picked and processed...many of you know how
For the first time I made Spiced Pear Butter this year
Using an old food mill from my granny most dear
The porch railing is festooned in its garland of green
Gaily wrapped with red lights, Christmas colours supreme
Our brightly lit villages are set up with train circling round
It's not just for grandkids these two grandparents have found
Outside moonlight casts shadows on bare branches galore
Creating the stage for what was sure to be in store
So imagine my glee when on the scene who should appear
But St. Nick, himself, in his sleigh pulled by eight reindeer
Decked out in his red suit complete with white trim
He looked exactly as I had always imagined of him
There was that twinkle in his eye as he reached in his bag
To leave presents for two gardeners including plant tags
Everything on our Wish List from new rake to new boots
Warm gloves for wet springs, lots of pots for new shoots
Shiny new pruners for John...he is the master of those
Though this spring I must apprentice, I do suppose
Two books on gardening will give us winter delight
'Til spring comes knocking and the time change in light
Seeds for the veggie garden, a wheel for the barrow
How I wish I could play in the garden tomorrow
St. Nick was finished with us, time to move on next door
The night was waning and so many houses more
He winked and exclaimed, as in his sleigh he stood tall
"A very Merry Christmas and Happy Gardening to all!"
Leslie Cox co-owns Growing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek. Her website is at www.duchessofdirt.ca and her column appears every second Friday in the Record.