Monday, December 03, 2012
Mark and Gaz
Widespread heavy frosts have finally descended on most parts of the country (some snow even on certain areas) last weekend and our garden wasn't spared.
The way that some of the plants were bowing down due to to the freezing cold and frosty weather (and it stayed like that all weekend) looked like they were submitting themselves to the powers of nature. Or bowing down to welcome the return of winter. Technically, if you follow what the calendar dictates it is still autumn. But if you go by feeling and seeing what it looks like around you, then winter has definitely arrived. And often that's the best way of telling the departure of old and arrival of a new season, simply by how the way it feels.
 |
| Ooops, there goes this Begonia... |
 |
| And so is this Colocasia. Both will be back again next spring. |
 |
| I think these will be mush as soon as they defrost... |
 |
| Bright Begonias no more |
The frosted plants and biting cold outside made it unmistakeable, winter is definitely here.
 |
| A messy tangle of frozen Tinantias |
 |
| What was once a proud Ricinus... |
 |
| Droopy clump of Hedychium |
 |
| Splat! |
 |
| This flattened Gunnera reminds me of a fainting diva for some reason... |
But, despite spending most of the weekend in the garden, we kept ourselves warm by working mostly in the filtration house. The insulation we have put in there last year whilst constructing it has certainly paid dividends. Keeping the door and windows closed, with gentle heating courtesy of a small fan heater and presto, it was t-shirt weather inside.
 |
| Getting organised with various bits and bobs... |
Despite the cosy warmth inside, the pacing of the work there was also slow. Plumbing done by two non plumbers is not an easy task and the words frustrating and infuriating have crossed our minds often. Still there were some progress at the end of the weekend and we're definitely getting there...
 |
| At the end of a plumbing weekend, we're still gardeners after all. There's free space here, so why not shove in these plants? |
The song that was playing on the radio as we were packing up after a weekend of plumbing was Baby, It's Cold Outside and I thought how appropriate that was at that time. Any cold experienced during the few seconds journey back into the house was immediately remedied by mugs of hot cocoa!
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
That Gunnera is hysterical. When it goes, it's really gone. You know it's funny, we should be really cold and it has been warm the last few days. In fact it was warmer when I got up early this morning than when I went to bed last night. I've killed slugs the last few days and right now there is a bee buzzing around my blooming Heather. Just too strange. When it hits freezing I'd rather it stay there until Spring.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Hi Cher, it does feel strange doesn't it when seasons get muddled and have a warm spell when it's supposed to get cold. Plants get tricked too. The Gunnera looking like that in the morning did made me smile. At least now I can fold its own dead leaves unto its own crown to protect itself :)
DeleteWhile frost is always (for me at least) sort of bittersweet I'm beginning to worry that we haven't had one yet. Our plants need that jolt to let them know things have changed. At least yours are ready now for what might be around the corner.
ReplyDeleteSo how close are you to turning on the spigot, so to speak?
Hi Loree, I agree with you and the cold spell we had last weekend was the jolt our garden plants needed to remind them that its winter already and they need to slow down or go dormant. Although it was frosty and cold it wasn't that bad, going down to -2.6C in the early morning but got up to +3C during the day. Everything's defrosted already since then. A gradual descent to lower temps is more ideal than abrupt fall to low temps. I remember December 2010 when we had +5C one day and the next day it went down to -5C and I think that abrupt fall caused a lot more damage than usual (plus that ended being a very cold winter...)
DeleteHopefully we'll be turning on the spigot by the end of December, cross fingers.....:)
While I've never lived in the tropics, I'm a tropical person at heart. I hate it when the temperatures get down to freezing, let alone drop below it.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are a sign of what's to come in my garden soon. Although in the grand scheme of things I can't complain, because it rarely gets below 25°F (-4°C) here.
Hi Gerhard, it does take awhile to get used to the colder temps doesn't it? The natural inclination is just to stay indoors but once you get used to it (and wrap up warm) it's not that bad and you can carry on doing things out in the garden. Hopefully it won't get too low in your area. Mind you, now that most of the perennials are frosted away, I'm also looking forward to clearing out all the dead growth, nice and clear for their return in the spring :)
DeleteI'm so glad to see I'm not the only garden blogger who posts photos of mush after frost. Love that picture of the Gunnera. It reminded me of a fan dancer.
ReplyDeleteHi Alison, seeing that Gunnera flopped like that did make me smile :) Plants frosted away is all part and parcel of gardening in a colder region so I don't mind featuring them. In the next few weeks we should start clearing them and cutting back old growth, a garden routine which we also enjoy :)
DeleteOuch. I would cry to see that in my garden. I wish I could send you some of the heat we're experiencing at the moment.
ReplyDeleteHi Missy, I would be worried if I see plants frosted away like that in your lovely and mild area :) All part and parcel of gardening in the UK though!
DeleteFarewell autumn. Goodbye lushness. Hello Darkness (my old friend.) This time is always so bittersweet. Does it represent for us our own life's winter as we watch the color fade from the bloom, the boundless energy of youth draining from leaf and stem? Sigh. It was a good life yes?
ReplyDeleteBless outlawgardener, such poetic words :) But then again there's the joy of coming spring too!
DeleteThat's a lot of nuts and bolts and adapters, etc! Whew! How long will those plants stay there? They should have light to avoid too much etiolation!
ReplyDeleteIt is Andrea, I was surprised myself how many bend and connectors we needed in the end. The plants that we shoved in the filter house only stay there a few days at a time. On milder spells they do go out and bask under the winter sun and fresh air :)
DeleteFrozen succulents, tragic! So far our winter has been pretty mild, some frosts in town but so far my coastal garden hasn't seen anything drastic. Crossing my fingers. It's always interesting to see which plants will plump back up when the weather warms up. Keep warm!
ReplyDeleteHi Nat, will keep warm here :) Those succulents are summer bedding so way just waiting for the heavy frosts to see them off. All the other succulents are safe inside a heated greenhouse.
DeleteHilarious photos of keeling over plants - they should all have cartoon-like "splat" and "blat" captions! I love how you are already filling your filtration house with plants... Rather suitable when you think about it, since you could justifiably call it a plant house in the non green sense of the word...
ReplyDeleteIndeed Janet, just making use of the currently free space :)
Delete