Note to self: next fall turn OFF the sprinklers before the first frost so you don't create a man-made ice storm. Above, a delphinium spike curves under the weight of ice.
Icy drops on these Japanese iris leaves sparkle, while the hydrangea leaves on the right of the photo are melting, melting.
The dogwood trees didn't mind the frost or the ice, but our veggie garden turned to green-brown mush early Monday morning. From the wreckage of their vines, I picked 6 gourds, 7 watermelons and 0 pumpkins (another note to self - if you don't get the pumpkins planted in May next year, just forget about them).
The opened roses turned brown around the edges, but several blossoms have opened since the frost and are beautiful.
The weather around here abruptly turned fallish - brrrr - last week, so I should have been paying attention to the weather report and expecting frost. Above, Juncus 'Unicorn', aka corkscrew rush, is encased in ice.
But I've been a poor caretaker lately, just letting the garden languish into fall and ignoring the weather report. Doesn't the bright pink of this 'Eflin Pink' penstemon seem out of place in ice?
Hey, do you think my little ice storm will kill the aphid eggs on the roses for next year? Probably not, knowing that Murphy's Law applies especially to rose plants.
These iced Siberian iris leaves look like hands reaching . . . for winter? For spring, seven months away? Despite the calendar, it doesn't feel like spring around here until mid-May. I've gathered photos of the summer garden and stored them away for the cold months, now it's time to find out if I'll have enough to illustrate this blog through the winter. I may have to look at grey skies and snow for months on end but that doesn't mean you want to!
I have no idea what this first freeze means for your garden, but that image of the delphinium is stunning!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your early freeze. For a second, I read "Siberian ices" -- don't they all look pretty with a little extra sparkle, though.
ReplyDeleteOh my, well.....at least it made for great photos. Frost already? Too early.
ReplyDeleteJen
Sorry to hear you've already had such cold weather. The rush looks really neat coated in ice. Your man-made ice storm did create some pretty pictures, hopefully they'll be okay.
ReplyDeleteWell, I suppose it was inevitable VW. My condolences. Take comfort in that the rest of us are not far behind. If you don't have enough photos for the winter, I certainly don't mind you repeating them. I never tire of eye candy. The ice droplets really are beautiful and maybe leaving the sprinkler on was a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThe ice is so beautiful! Especially around the corkscrew rush. Thank you for sharing such great photos.
ReplyDeleteFrost already!!!
ReplyDeleteSummer passed so quickly. I know what you mean letting the garden lanquish, it's easily done at this time of year.
At least you didn't lose all your rose blooms.
OH my!! Perhaps the ice will protect the foliage from the dropping temps. Hard to believe it is already so late in the year.
ReplyDeleteOh! what lovely photos. Your plants may have not liked the ice but we did! I never see my garden like that, I have to rely on blogs for my 'real' snow and winter pictures. So I am sure you will have plenty for me to enjoy. Do keep warm.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Sylvia (England)
Frost already? Say it ain't so!:)
ReplyDeleteWhoops! They are pretty covered with ice though. They will be gone anyway, just a little sooner now.The only thing that will survive your ice storm will be the aphids ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhoops! I've done that many times in early spring. It didn't hurt the plants did it? They look pretty crystallized.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteHi VW, your images are beautiful, if strange to see green leaves and colorful flowers encased in ice. They say ice protects some things, like the oranges in Florida that are sprayed with water when below freezing temps are forecast. Hope yours survived as best they could. Love your notes to self! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Ice adds a dimension of beauty to a garden...VW, is this frost on time or early. it sure seems to early for fall to be moving into chill time! gail
ReplyDeleteWe just listened to the weather the other day in time to bring in the houseplants when we heard it was supposed to get down to 32. I had Larry set the sprinkler to come on in the morning to wash the frost off. It ended up getting down to 29, but I had to get to work by 7:30 a.m. so I never saw if there were any ice drops like yours. You sure did get some lovely photos! We haven't had another frost, but are supposed to in a couple days. I'm so not ready for winter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blogiversary. I have been taking photos of my gardens for quite awhile, but when my dad gave me his old computer, my husband did something that caused my iphoto library to be trashed. I was very unhappy about that, but now have almost as many photos as I did before. I had printed a few of them, planning on making a notebook of what the beds looked like from one year or season to the next. I'll have to see if I can find any to scan.
What beautiful photos! If not for the collateral damage in the veggie patch, I'd say leaving the sprinklers on was a happy accident.
ReplyDeleteHi VW~~ Indeed Loropetalum will grow here but only if one is a smart gardener and plants it in the spring so it has an entire season to root-in and acclimate before Winter's chill [or should I say "kill"]. I'm getting a little smarter. It hurts to lose it. Methinks you need a heated greenhouse for Christmas. Then just think of the goodies you can get from Monrovia and the like. I need to check their website thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteOh my, VW... isn't this a bit early for first frost? We have been in the 90's all week and wishing for a little slice of autumn... we really live in opposite worlds where gardening is concerned. I hope some of your flowers survive.
ReplyDeletemeems