How wonderful to wake up in the morning to a frosty garden sparkling in the sun. I was beginning to be worried that global warming would banish cold and frost and snow which would mean boring wet winters and lack of encouragement for certain plants to flower in spring.
This was a good, hardish frost and after breakfast I went out with a hammer and broke up the ice in the bird baths.
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Cold weather is good for many plants and essential for some. Apples, pears and plums all need a cold spell to flower and fruit. Many seeds need a period of cold (stratification) to break their dormancy including lavender, aquilegia, sedum and wild rose.
Tulips, irises, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus all need several weeks of cold weather to flower to their full potential. A good hard frost also helps to control pests and diseases, making them less of a burden the following year.
The plants that looked their best this morning were the ones with leaves that held the frost particles to best advantage. The holly tree looked enchanting, the patio rose with its small leaves and one hip was a treat to the eye and all the ferns took on a magical quality, even the plain old geranium, shone with a silvery sheen.
Holly leaves Hardy geranium
Luckily, I had already protected most of the plants originally from hotter climes that find cold weather difficult. And I have now remembered to cover the outside tap with bubble wrap so the pipe won't burst
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| Brachyglottis |
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