Last night was the first really cold night that we have had this winter, down to about -5oc or so. It seems odd to be writing such a thing on the 10th December when ordinarily the cold weather would have well and truly set in and plants would not be sending forth new flower buds; but then the weather of the last few weeks has been anything but normal.
I’ve been looking foward to the onset of frosts and sunny, clear days for some time; I prefer this kind of proper winter weather far more than I do the cloudy, not-warm-but-not-cold days that we’ve been experiencing lately, so this morning I went out with the camera to capture the work of a million ice crystals and more.
Frosted Hydrangea
Skimmia
Leaves of a climbing rose
Saliva involucrata 'Joan'
Seed head
Skimmia
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A Gardener's Life for Me 
Posted by Carolyn @ Urban Veg Patch on December 10, 2011 at 12:52
Lovely photos but I particularly like the frosted hydrangea, the frost has really crystallised the petals. In NW London, we had some frost on the rooftops but the gardens were untouched so I’m not sure which part of the country your garden is in. This cold, crisp, sunny weather is my favourite – I just hope it doesn’t get overcast again too soon!
Posted by Jason on December 14, 2011 at 21:36
The hydrangeas are one of my favourites at this time of year, especially in the frost. I live out on the Kent and East Sussex border in a forest so we do get the frosts more so than in the the city. I love the cold, bright, crisp weather too; not looking forward to the stormy weather that is due this weekend!!
Posted by Scott on December 10, 2011 at 17:04
I agree with the above, the beautiful, muted colors of the Hydrangea are stunning with the frosty picotee. What’s the spherical seed head, Gaillardia?
Posted by Jason on December 11, 2011 at 18:32
Hi Scott, the seed head is a perennial variety of scabious; it is a lovely flower as well as looking good in winter. Jason.
Posted by Donna@Gardens Eye View on December 10, 2011 at 18:17
Gorgeous pics of lovely frost…
Posted by Jason on December 12, 2011 at 19:20
Pleased thay you like them, thanks for visiting.
Posted by patientgardener on December 11, 2011 at 19:10
Great photos of frost – we haven’t really had any here in Worcestershire.
Posted by Jason on December 12, 2011 at 19:13
Saying you’ve had no real frost when we’re in December just shows what odd weather we’re having. Glad you like the photos; hopefully there will be opportunity to take a few more this winter!
Posted by Christina on December 12, 2011 at 11:16
Good to have you posting again Jason, lovely i,ages but you made me feel very cold! No frost here yet but it is a dull day today. Christina
Posted by Jason on December 12, 2011 at 19:19
Hi Christina, when do you normally get the first frost? We’ve not really had much in the way of frost apart from that one night; at the moment it is strong wind and rain that we are experiencing so I have cut the larger roses back to prevent wind damage. I’ve been pretty busy since the start of December helping my florist wife make wreaths which are selling like hot cakes, so much so that it hasn’t left much time for blogging. I do have a Dahlia post up my sleeve, though it will be a bit late to be of any practical use to anybody this year but hopefully interesting none-the-less.
Jason.
Posted by Petra Hoyer Millar on December 13, 2011 at 16:53
Lovely photos. Which plant is the lovely seed head? Very pretty.
Posted by Jason on December 14, 2011 at 21:33
Hi Petra, the seed head is a perennial scabious; there are quite a few dotted about the garden and they add some nice structure at this time of year.
Posted by » Butterfly Drawings Butterfly Facts on March 11, 2012 at 21:51
[…] A frosty morning « A Gardener’s Life for Me – Posted December 10, 2011 by Jason in My Garden, Plants. Tagged: Frost, Frosty morning, Winter, Winter garden. 12 Comments. Last night was the first really cold night that we have had this winter, down to about -5oc or so. It seems odd to be … […]