Brrrr. This week saw the coldest night for seven years in the UK, which I know is nothing compared to some of you in the northern hemisphere who have been experiencing an even more extreme freeze.
Here in the South East of England, the snow did not settle for long, but there is something magical about when it first falls and the garden suddenly looks pristine, all its flaws and untidiness hidden under a pure white counterpane. Before the snow we had heavy frost which brings its own beauty: ice crystals on seed-heads; a lawn of frozen sugar candy.
As ever I am joining in with The Propagator and his followers from around the globe on Six on Saturday and looking forward to seeing lots of pictures of snowy gardens from the north of the planet, then hopefully warming up with shots of sunshine and flowers from the southern hemisphere.
- Frost and snow
This is pretty much the same shot of our garden on Thursday and Friday morning this week. Thursday started out one of those crisp, sunny winter days. I love the way our Spirea glows like a red and orange heart in the centre of this picture. The snow arrived quickly at around nine o’clock on Thursday night. By Friday morning, it was already starting to thaw, but there was just time for a quick snowball fight before school.
2. Ice crystals on seed-heads
I am quite glad that I have not got round to cutting back the Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ yet, as these ice crystals look quite stunning on its blackened seed-heads.
3. Hellebore in the snow
I like the contrast of the fleshy pink and green against the white snow, with pale yellow primroses just peeping out of the bottom right corner of this picture.
4. Raised beds in the snow
I have been putting off tidying up the raised beds in our front garden and feeling guilty every time I walk past them. Thankfully, the snow relieved me of my guilt for a morning.
5. Iced geraniums
The transformative power of frost and snow is amazing. Even the common garden Cranesbill looks like sugared cake decorations given a dusting of frost.
6. Snowdrops
The snowdrops are taking their time coming out this year, but they are gradually unfurling from their green casing. We inherited these which are a rather tiny variety. I would like to add some of the bigger, more unusual ones for next year.
Keep warm wherever you are this Saturday and happy SOS reading!
I do like your raised beds. Do you use them all for vegetables? Meanwhile, your Helibore looks pretty even under the snow.
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Three for veg, one for cut flowers!
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These icy geraniums are crispy in every sense of the words…We can only note that the photos of gardens with ice or snow are very nice
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It’s amazing how plants recover from snow and ice. The pansies on my patio went very dark and limp, like lettuce when it freezes in the fridge by accident. Within a couple of hours they looked normal again (unlike lettuce!). We had snow Thursday night and I felt like a child with excitement but it had almost gone when I woke Friday morning.
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I know I get stupidly excited by snow ⛄️
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I need to get more snow drops. The hellebore looks good against the snow.
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Are Iced Geraniums like Iced Gems but more fragrant?
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Mm that would be nice. Used to love iced gems when I was a kid.
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Is that agapanthus foliage with the snowdrops? They are very popular here, but I would not expect them to keep their foliage through the frost. Even here, they can get frosted back to the ground every few years or so.
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No it’s daffodils!
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Oh wow, I was WAY off. I should have known better.
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Love the shot of the iced geranium leaves!
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It’s true, the snow covers any flaws a garden might have, not that I’m saying your garden has them. It’s a blanket of obscurity. So pretty, especially on those geranium leaves.
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I’m practically rooting for snow to arrive tomorrow because it may cover up outdoor chores I need to accomplish. Out of sight out of mind? Also, be very, very cautious when planning to acquire more snowdrops! There’s a snowdrop fever running rampant, especially among SOSers, and you might just catch it!
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Similar scenes here. I had to check the greenhouse this morning to see if the hydropod had frozen. It hasn’t, fortunately, still running. -7°c out according to my weather app. Brrr.
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I love frost rimed leaves and there is nothing nicer than a frosty day with sunshine and a blue sky. Much nicer than the interminable grey skies that we have had this winter. Your first image in the sun is lovely and I love the frosty Geraniums! I liked Iced Gems too – used to bite off the icing bit and then eat the biscuit 😉
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Lovely photos, very pretty. Nothing but cold here, nice to share your snow. 🙂
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