One frosty morning, a few days ago, I made the most of the dry weather and photographed some foliage which looks so much better with a light dusting of frost, as though someone has passed by sprinkling icing sugar everywhere! Just as well that I did, we have had another spell of non stop rain and gales with more flooding everywhere. There are only a few photos this time, the first one is the hydrangea under the kitchen window, looking very different from its summer green.
This hellebore is reminding me that I must make an effort and finish removing all the leaves so that black spot isn’t passed onto the hellebore flowers when they emerge in February. I have done about half of my plants and have been very surprised to find the buds so well developed and one or two even out flowering.
The lonicera hedge under the kitchen window has its top surface touched by frost.
Even the leaves on the lawn look more beautiful than usual.
Among the frozen leaves, a cowslip might regret flowering so early.
The ivy round the BBQ is looking a bit cold, obviously missing the heat of the summer!
The box balls in the front garden have a slight sprinkling which emphasises their shape.
So thats it for foliage in the garden here at the moment, so much rain has left the garden absolutely sodden, daren’t walk on the grass at the moment to take photos. It will take at least a week to dry out but there is no sign of the rain stopping yet.
Thanks must go to Christina at My Hesperides Garden for hosting GBFD once more. Italy where she lives is having it much colder than we are with lots of frost and snow decorating their gardens, do check them out. I would like to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Christmas and everything you could wish for in your gardens in 2013!
Hi Pauline,
Lovely photos – none for me because I’ve been unable to get out and take any.
I’m surprised to see the Cowslip! At least it’s some colour for you though 🙂
I hope you haven’t been flooded out in all the rain. It’s perhaps the only time I appreciate living on a hill (although, that didn’t stop the cellar being flooded a few years ago when we lived in a different house! There was so much water it just went down the old coal chute instead).
Looking forward to seeing your Hellebores over the coming weeks and must go out and hunt blooms here – last time I looked only nigra had buds.
Liz, I was as surprised as you when I saw a splash of yellow in the border, not sure how long the cowslip will last though.
Like you Liz, we live half way up a hill, only a small hill, but enough for the water to rush past down to the stream which flows through the village. When going to Exeter yesterday, all the flat land was flooded again, normally green fields were water as far as you could see where the river had burst its banks. When househunting 20 odd years ago, we saw so many houses with lovely streams running through the gardens, thank goodness we didn’t buy any of them!
I think I’ll need a pair of waders to photograph my hellebores, we might not be flooded but everywhere is sodden!
I love to see the frost on foliage, usually in Canada we get so much snow that frost is a very occasional occurrence.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Pauline, and all the best for 2013.
It was only a very slight frost Deborah, and our only one so far this winter. We usually get more frost after the New Year, but quite often no snow in this SW corner of the UK. Many thanks for your Christmas wishes, I hope you and your husband have a wonderful Christmas in the heat and sunshine!
You captured some beautiful images. It’s interesting how frost helps us focus differently on plants, bringing out the subtleties we might not have otherwise appreciated. Peace and joy. Susie
You’re so right Susie, I think the photo of the leaves on the lawn (that have since been swept up) is my favourite, with all the different shapes outlined with white, which normally wouldn’t be noticed among the mass of brown. I wish you and your family a happy and peaceful Christmas and a wonderful gardening year in 2013!
Beautiful pictures. It´s kind of magic with the frost on the plants. Here we are expecting a snow storm tomorrow with lots of snow. But already on monday the temperature should rise, so it will probably disappear again soon.
Merry Christmas.
I would imagine Gitte, that you get a lot more snow than we do, we don’t get much at all in the SW corner of the UK, just lots of rain!!
Christmas greetings to you and your family and hope that you have a good gardening year in 2013!
Oh that touch of frost is quite magical Pauline and just as well that you took photos when you did. Removing hellebore leaves is on top of my gardening to do list. Hope that you have a good Christmas and that the rains and gales ease soon. All the best for a drier new year and for good growing in 2013! xxx
Anna, I agree, the slight frost made all the difference, otherwise it would just have been a pile of very soggy leaves! I hope you and your family have a wonderful peaceful Christmas and that 2013 will be the best year yet in all our gardens!
That poor cowslip! What on earth disposed it to come out to play now! The frost makes for some beautiful pictures – the leaves are lovely. I am so sorry about your rain and gales – the train we started off on today was on its way to the SW but was having to finish at Taunton so I knew it must be bad again. It must be be heartbreaking to have properties flooding over and over – and now many people’s travel arrangements will be disrupted too. We can’t be smug living on our little hills when others are suffering like this – it could so easily be any of us. Thanks for sharing your garden, Pauline, and have a Happy Christmas 🙂
The slight frost we had Cathy made such a difference to the leaves in the garden, such a change from being soggy, but it only lasted one night!
So many people are flooded again unfortunately and the fields round Exeter are completely covered with water once more, hopefully the rain will stop soon.
Wishing you and your family a happy and peaceful and dry Christmas and a wonderful year gardening in 2013!
A very Happy Christmas Pauline. Thank you so much for joining in again this month. I love the colour of your Hydrangea leaves, so subtle and delicate. Christina
Thank you Christina for hosting GBFD and opening everyones eyes to the beauty of foliage! The leaves take on such beautiful colours in the cold, it really pays to have a good look, each day is different. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family.
Frost always has a magical beauty. Happy holidays Pauline and all the best for 2013!
Such a tiny bit of frost Jennifer, but it made all the difference. Hope you have a lovely Christmas with your family and dogs!
I love frost on everything in the garden but it has been so mild here this week. Good for saving on the heating bills not so pretty to look at though. Hope the flooding isn’t affecting you and that you have a lovely Christmas, Pauline. Best wishes, WW 🙂
Thanks for your concern WW, we are safe from the flooding thank goodness, but villages lower down are unfortunately flooded once more.
Our one little bit of frost made such a difference to the garden, then it was back to rain once more. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a drier new year!
Hi Pauline, I finally found your blog. I was requesting that you leave a link on GWGT so I may find you, but I looked on twitter and thought I might have found you. It took me a bit, but finally I got here. Love your frosty leaves. They are photogenic, although the weather that accompanies them… not so much. Too bad about all the rain and gales. That is no fun for this time of year.
Donna, so sorry you had trouble finding me, but glad you persevered!I think I would rather have it frosty than this non stop rain and there is no sign of it stopping until the new year, gardening will just have to wait a bit. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and a dry New Tear!
I am amazed to see leaves on your hydrangea in December! I bet it’s well sheltered!
I love how frost kind of outlines all the little details and brings a new life to died plants in the garden. Looking forward to seeing your hellebores in bloom, black spot or not.
Yes Alberto, the hydrangea is by the front door. which is in quite a sheltered spot.
The hellebores are getting ready for flowering, the buds are nice and fat already, won’t be long before they’re flowering if the mild weather lasts!