A frosty reception

In my post on a moment of observation last week, I mentioned that I was going to start a daily walk around the garden. This is both to encourage myself to get out there, even if only for a few minutes a day, and to try and ‘see’ it in more detail. Today’s walk was after a night of that gave the garden a good frosting.

What stood out was how different and in some ways, more accented, the leaves of plants were when frosted. You can seen the veins in more detail on the Geranium leaf above. And the frost on the edges of this dianthus gave the leaves a varigated and ‘spring green’ hue.

Saxifraga hirsuta is now hir-frosta.

And I love how the frosted crystals make the Saxifrage leaves suddenly look like cacti.

The dainty Hypericum cerastioides, an alpine trailing St. John’s wort. More than tough enough to take a mere frosting.
This is Epimedium x youngianum ‘Roseum’. The younger leaves flush bronze when young, and next spring these will revert to their usual mid-green state. 

The frost also gave some flowers and dried flowerheads a new way to appreciate their beauty. The orange here is from Crocosmia seedheads.

I look forward to seeing Goldfinches in the garden soon, feasting on the Teasel seed heads.

Teasel, in detail.

The last hurrah for Rudbeckia ‘Takao’. Interesting how the crystals appear square. How does that happen?

An unrealised flower on the Rudbeckia. It looks beautiful in the frost, but this plant will go to mush before the flower sees further life.

The leaves and going-to-seed flowerheads of Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’.

I spent more than five minutes observing in the garden today. But then, today’s frosty reception was quite beautiful, and it was worth taking a bit more time out in the cold to enjoy seeing the plants in this winter (de)light.

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