My eyes were glued to the snow and ice. I was watching my steps with my head down when I saw it.

It was a brown oak leaf lying there on top of the snow. I looked up to see a young oak tree that still had its leaves, and it dawned on me that I haven't looked up in awhile. I realized I was missing something.

With all the snow, ice and rain we've had over the last couple of weeks, you probably didn't notice it either. It's showtime for the conifers, baby, and it's called the Evergreen State for good reason.

My love of coniferous trees developed gradually. Now that I've been using them for several years in my mini gardens, they will definitely hold a place in my life-sized gardens too. They are the most versatile and adaptable family of plants and, after being buried in the snow for the past couple of weeks here in West Seattle, they are looking plump and luscious, like the champions that they are.

For those of you that aren't familiar with conifers, they are trees that bear cones. Examples are spruce, juniper and pine trees and shrubs. They are also the oldest, largest and smallest trees on the earth, too.

Most conifers are evergreen, and are particularly valuable in the winter months when we need it most. They weather perfectly here in the Northwest, and they thrive in cold temperatures, so you can trust on them to survive any kind of winter weather that we may get.

Conifers have often been called the jewels of the forest, and they should be called the jewels of the garden, too. The many different styles, shapes and sizes can fit into just about any situation, in the ground, in a container, sun, shade, you name it, there's a conifer for it.

The true miniature and dwarf varieties are just darling versions of the life-sized trees and fit perfectly into our tiny garden scenes, lending their majesty in miniature.

But the real treat that conifers bring, is that they aren't all that green either. We normally don't get freezing temperatures here in Seattle, so we don't notice any change. The Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) and Japanese Cedars (Cryptomeria japonica) are two examples of conifers that get a "winter blush," their colors change from green to amber, rust, yellow, mauve or a combination of colors. The cold temperatures, together with all the moisture we've had, make the perfect blend for invigorating these trees, and boy do they look great these days!

So the next time your out for a walk, look up, it's showtime, Baby!

Visit Janit's Web site; http://www.TwoGreenThumbs.com. Her online store is http://www.shop.TwoGreenThumbs.com.

info@TwoGreenThumbs.com, 206-352-0494.