The gardens are closing down for the winter and fall color is nearly peaking. Frosty mornings are here again. I’ll miss the warm temperatures, the yummy tomatoes, and the fresh air that comes with working in the garden. Every season has it’s own interesting things to enjoy and the fall-winter seasons are no exception.
The first heavy frost hit us this week sending the tomato vines, zinnias and several other cold fearing plants to the great garden in the sky. It did leave us with some nice images. Like the frozen birdbath.
Or the frosted plants being warmed by the sun. The dogwood is glowing an amazing red color and is still retaining its leaves despite the deer damage. That gives me some hope for its long term survival.
The frost certainly makes the leaves of our newest viburnum (Viburnum burkwoodii) appear soft and feathery.
The same can be said for the dogwood leaves. Unfortunately I didn’t focus the camera correctly and it blurred a bit.
The lawn stands out with its silvery color frosting like a whole landscape of artemisia. You can just imagine walking through the grass on a frosty morning and hearing a crunch with every footstep.
The slope was covered in the crystalline frost as well. In the background you can see the colors beginning their transition. It won’t be long until I can do my post for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project.
Here in the birdbath garden the mums and salvias are heavy with the frost.
I think the plants are ready for a break. They’ve done a nice job this year and deserve a rest.
There will be many more frosty mornings ahead!
That is frost! We didn’t get any like that, yet! But I suspect before long. It is amazing how asphalt warms up a city! Our temps are always warmer then yours. Have a good weekend with your girls! Gail
Looks like you guys had a way heavier frost than here. I still have veggies, even basil and stuff. But nearly time to say goodbye, so long, adios, ciao, tchuss, aloha and all of those goodbyes:)
No frost down here in GA as of yet but soon to come for sure… My elephant ears are still standing tall for now…
You did have quite a frost! We haven’t had anything quite that severe yet, though I’m quite a bit north of you (in Illinois). Lovely photos; proof that even the frosty garden can be beautiful.
I’ve joined in on the Fall Color Project with a post today. Thanks for sponsoring this; I thought it was a great idea. Like Cindy, though, I think I may have missed the peak!
Quite a frosty scene!
Cameron
That sprinkling of icing sugar does make it all look very pretty, even though that is shortlived.
I like the slope with the white-barked trees. Or is that snow too?
Over here in another early frost, I am standing in the middle of an icy garden, with a wheelbarrow full of plugplants and bulbs, and no idea what to do with them. Soil is far too cold to receive anything so tender and young. Freezing Easterlies and the ground bonedry.
We were cheated out of a month somehow. This is usually prime planting time here in the southern UK, with soil still warm and welcoming.
I need yet another coldframe 😉 (and my head examined for ordering so late).
Gail,
I think the cold temperatures are more severe in our yard due to its positioning. We sit in a little 1 acre nook on a larger hillside. The cold air just wafts down through our yard. It makes the summer evenings almost always tolerable and the winter temperatures a little on the cold side. The temps dropped down to 23-24 F on the frost nights.
Tina,
I used the last of the basil the other day. We made a pesto. Next year I’m going to have to do a better job with harvesting those herbs. I need to dry them and save them and make more pesto!
Cameron,
Very frosty!
Skeeter,
Watch those elephant ears! Do you dig them up each year or do they return for you?
Rose,
The frost is one of those deadly yet beautiful things! I’ll get a post up for you today. Your pictures looked great! I like crabapple shot. 🙂
Joco,
The slope is just frost, but when there is snow up there you can bet we’ll be using it. Last year we had one day of sledding on that slope. I’ve cut back a little further this year so we may have a longer track if we are lucky enough to get some white stuff!
Sorry about your plants! A cold frame sounds like a good idea. I have a small mini-greenhouse (shelves with a plastic sheath over it) in our garage by a window that helps me overwinter things. If you have a place you can stick one inside your house it might be a good idea. In our garage I only need to water once every 2 weeks or so since the plant still go into dormancy.
Gorgeous pics but makes me shiver remembering those mornings in Ohio as a kid… bbbrrrrrr…
Frost seems to add another dimension to our photos, all silvery soft. Beautiful. It seems the cold crept up on us this year — one day summer, the next day Nov!
Your garden foliage & blooms look lovely frosted and sparkly.
We havent had frost like that yet although the car has been frozen in the mornings recently. I think it is due to warm up here for a few days which will be good.
I always thought frosty yards, gardens or whatever were the prettiest pics. Yours look great. We didn't have that heavy a frost here. It was on the house tops & vehicles. So far I haven't noticed anything that was harmed. Maybe just a certain Coleus.
They (whoever “they” are) say talkin about things makes you feel better. Why don’t it work when I talk about the arrival of winter??