frosted rose leaves

The Ordinary Made Special: Frost

Posted on by Ann Mackay

It’s the end of January and I hope that these are the last frost photographs I’ll share for a while. Although this winter hasn’t been very cold, I just can’t wait for it to end. I’m ready to see new growth and to welcome the first flowers of spring.

Despite my impatience for the cold weather to be over, I’m grateful for a bit of frost. Without it, there would be very little to photograph here in winter. There would be much less to tempt me outside for a wander around the garden too.

With frost, the garden is transformed from being a soft and soggy mess of dying vegetation into somewhere crisp and rigid. It feels utterly changed, alien even. Plant remains that would normally go unnoticed stand out as the frost makes them into something new.

frosted plants

The smallest of things can suddenly be full of photographic possibilities. Tiny seed-heads, old leaves, the dried stems of decorative grasses – these can become features that demand attention. The frost emphasises the delicate nature of these small things. It can make a plant look like a piece of fragile lace or as if it has been dipped in sugar. And if the sun is shining, the garden can come alive with the sparkle of all those millions of tiny crystals.

So I won’t be ungrateful for the beauty that winter can produce. I’ll try to be patient while I wait for spring to arrive. But I can’t help being excited to see the signs that the spring isn’t far away. Now there are green daffodil buds starting to appear and the first of my hellebores has come into flower. And I’m off out into the garden to photograph them…

frosted hydrangea

Published by Ann Mackay

Photographer, mixed-media art adventurer and completely daft about plants.......

25 thoughts on “The Ordinary Made Special: Frost”

    1. Thanks Stephanie! I think there might not be any more frost for a while – it’s become milder and I’m off out to work in the garden. 🙂

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  4. It’s a little amusing that I’ve spent the winter hoping for frost, and some really cold weather. Your photos are entrancing, and I’d love to have a chance to try my hand at some similar images — but no such luck, so far. What always is a surprise is the color that endures despite the frost and cold. It certainly makes your images even more memorable.

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    1. Wish I could send you some frost! (Though it has turned mild now anyway, so we might not get much more.) It’s surprising where there is still a little bit of colour and some sunshine helps it to stand out. 🙂

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    1. Thanks Jude! 🙂 We don’t get many frosty days here – this year has been mostly mild and damp. But you never know what to expect – hope there isn’t a ‘beast from the east’ this year!

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  9. I never get tired of looking at your frozen flower pix – beautiful! I too hope it starts to warm up soon. Getting a hard freeze tonight and tomorrow night which only happens every few years – Ugh! Unfortunately I have never seen any of the beautiful frost you seem to get.

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      1. Wonderful. I’m in Cincinnati Ohio (yes, very inland – but I do have an extended stay at the beach). We love travel, but sadly have only been to the UK once 😦 … but know we want to return. We were scheduled to return in 2020 for a few days ahead of a cruise, but a pandemic interrupted that plan.

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      2. I think we’re all looking forward to being able to travel again, Frank. Visiting beaches and gardens is right at the top of my list! 🙂

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    1. We’ve had snow over the last week – quite a novelty. I didn’t go out in it to take any photos though, but stayed warm inside instead!

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