I saw these sweet wine-colored sedums in a neighbor’s yard, while on a walk this afternoon. I’m a bit of a succulent nut—you do not know this yet, dear reader, but you soon shall—and I’m having fun incorporating them into my landscaping efforts. (My indoor collection I refer to as my succulent army.)

A few years back, I took regular walks through a preserved wetland near my office in Mt. Shasta, at all times of year. I watched the seasons change, the shifting colors of the landscape, and how even a snowless winter is beautiful in its own way. I find myself doing the same thing in my new location, watching the area change over the seasons. One yard is full of color, even in winter—especially in winter—the absence of foliage reveals lively stems and branches.

I love aspects of every season, but winter is particularly fascinating. Not all of my outdoor plants have survived the cold-wet-cold-wet cycle we’ve had lately, but it’s interesting to see what’s thriving through the winter, and what, having died back, is already starting to regrow. Which brings me back to these lovely sedums, a carpet of vivid rosettes in a season normally lacking in color. Maybe the starkness of winter makes the colors more striking, when they appear against the silver skies of January. Stubborn scraps of life, poking through the decaying vestiges of last year’s splendor….