December 21, the shortest day of the year. I’m no physicist, but if Einstein had studied gardeners, he would have discovered his theory of relativity more quickly because of how time stretches or contracts while we are digging in the dirt. The relativity of gardening time was reinforced for me by a recent article, “How Pottering About in the Garden Creates a Time Warp”, by Harriet Gross. My theory is a bit more granular: I have experienced time at slower, faster and at a stand-still pace when gardening.

Spring is a frenetic dash between cloud bursts, planting between normal work/life responsibilities. In June I hold my breath and surveil my green queendom but with grubby clothes and a trowel, rather than an ermine cape and scepter. July is a sprint to have fun, manage the trellising and harvesting while hosting deck dates. August time fluctuates nervously while I consider fall planting or do nothing except eat greens to sloooowwww time down before fall’s frenzy. September and October are pinched days for plotting and squeezing in as many seeds, plants and bulbs as possible while trying to outrun our shifty weather.

You might be surprised to know that, until recently, I was afraid of indoor plants. I drowned my first one when I was 13. When folks would give me an occasional orchid I would ask: What do you have against that plant? That all changed a few years ago when my pal Shawn gave me a cute succulent inside an even cuter pot. Succulents prefer my watering neglect, so we’re a match. I have added to my indoor pot empire by visiting Urban Sense on Vliet Street. I do currently have an orchid gifted by my other pal Katie in the living room—let’s see if I can bring it back to life once it loses all its delicate white tiger-teeth flowers.

My biggest takeaway is that, like gardening outside, nature knows how to take care of herself.

My sweet pots remind me that this is the time of year to consider garden gifts for family, friends or you. I’ll mention again the green clippers I got at GoodLand Home and Goods on Downer Avenue. To shake your mopey gardener awake, look for some great reading suggestions at the Wild Ones’ online bookshop, where you’ll find my current favorites Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger and How Can I Help by Doug Tallamy.

Joe Gardener mentions 17 books (plus a few extras) in his podcast episode #440. Of note for me is Sarah F. Jayne’s Nature’s Action Guide, that expands the various steps we can all take to make our landscapes more human and creature-friendly, and Plant Sapiens: Unmasking Plant Intelligence by Paco Calvo with Natalie Lawrence. If your local bookstore doesn’t have these in stock, have them order it for you. Just as we feed our local soil, let’s feed our local businesses too.

How about supporting the groups that are fighting the good fight for the earth and its inhabitants? Consider buying memberships or donating in your gardening friend’s name to a range of green-supporting groups like the Wild Ones, the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, and the National Wildlife Federation, which sponsors a Wildlife Habitat Certification program. This year I’ve donated to the National Park Federation, and the American Bird Conservancy, to protect our spaces and species at risk.

When I was 20, I signed up for my college’s exchange program in France. Since I only had about 36 days of class (by my estimation), I learned how to read train timetables and find cheap youth hostels to launch myself into the world of art history (the gardening part would come much later).

On winter solstice that year, I found myself in front of an enormous astronomical clock inside the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Strasbourg. A lightbulb went on: rather than fuss about winter, I would celebrate the shortest day of the year instead. Those few extra seconds of sunlight beginning December 22 are invisible since the winter sky is clotted with cotton batting clouds, but I take comfort knowing that they are there.

Under the watchful eye of Persephone, let’s all celebrate the solstice, December 21^st, 2025. Host an outdoor party with hot mulled wine, roast marshmallows over a cracklin’ good fire and burn some diseased plants that can’t go into the compost. Then head back inside and count green beans while you dream about the year to come. 

It’s been a good garden year despite the weather whiplash we experienced, and I look forward to sharing more green joy with you in 2026!

A Few Gardening Resources

More Places to Give

Education

• Joe Gardener is a prolific sharer of information, try his website, podcasts and videos for any and all things garden.
• Read the Old Farmer’s Almanac—now the Almanac because, ahem, we’re not that old, right? —for gardening tips, a free guide on how to start a garden, plus weather predictions, moon phases, sunrise and sunset times, a veritable buffet of the things that interest gardeners.
• University of Wisconsin Horticulture, Division of Extension has online garden programs to help you make it through winter
• Want to help your neighbors get cost effective native seeds for their own gardens? Host a Winter Sowing Party! Check out the Homegrown National Park’s story on Liz Myers-Chamberlin, who helped sow the seeds of native perennials with her neighbors, and download the free party instructions for your own winter wonderland of seeds.

Native Nurseries In Wisconsin

Sustainable Garden Information

• National Wildlife Federation: How to create and certify gardens for wildlife
• Wild Ones Milwaukee: Download the Wild Ones’ landscape design specific to Milwaukee by landscape architect Danielle Bell of Native Roots, Milwaukee. This template describes all the ecosystems that can exist in one yard, and gives you a plant list to start your native plant journey
• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District, in partnership with Fresh Coast Guardians, provides resources and references for anyone wanting to help protect our waterways, create a livelier landscape and entertain the bees, bugs and other creatures that co-evolved in our region. Download their natural landscaping plan here
• See the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan, from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, for information on conservation and protection of species and their habitats. I’ve gotten the names of a few rare native species from this list!