Frosted Fragility

Posted on by Ann Mackay

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Frost gives me good opportunities for garden photography in winter, but it’s generally not good news for the flowers in my pictures. The rose photographed last week was robust enough to survive, although it may not open any more fully. Most frozen blooms, however, are left with wilted and sagging petals when they thaw.

That’s not a worry, since the frost will usually just have finished off the last of the flowers from autumn. The plants will flower again next year – if they’re hardy. But there are some that are only borderline hardy and will only survive if the winter doesn’t get too cold for them.

The salvia above (Salvia involucrata ‘Bethellii’) may withstand temperatures down to about -5℃ and this plant managed to come through several winters. A far colder spell than we’ve had for a long time was too much for it, though, and it didn’t reappear the following spring. Some cuttings from the plant did survive that unusually cold period. They are in a huge pot that’s part of a collection of containers that my husband has planted up to go in front of the house. There it’s sheltered by the house wall. It benefits from a sunny, south-facing position and the warmth that radiates from both the wall and the paved driveway below it. This just shows how microclimates can vary within a garden!

The little daisy below was, I think, Rhodanthemum ‘Moondance’. (The leaves belong to the plant behind it.) It should have coped with winter. In this case it was probably the heavy winter rain that killed it rather than the cold. It’s a Mediterranean plant that likes good drainage. Here our summers are normally very dry, but, awkwardly, our winters can be rainy and wet. That means that I do sometimes lose plants if I haven’t given them good enough drainage. I think I’m lucky that so much does survive! 🌿

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Published by Ann Mackay

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

15 thoughts on “Frosted Fragility”

  1. The ice crystals are so beautiful, especially on the daisy. It looks as if the petals are made of glass.

    I think it’s true that most of us gardeners are lucky that so much does survive. Fortunately for us, plants are very adaptable.

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  3. Despite the brown center, your daisy reminds me of a snowflake; the symmetry of the ice forms on its petals is lovely. The frost on the rose is appealing, but I also was rather taken with the combination of magenta and orange underlying it. I like the colors together, and it’s interesting to see them in this sort of context.

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    1. Flowers and plants can put colours together in ways we might not expect – all part of the intrigue of exploring nature. And frost can create unexpected delights too, though not today – it’s all wind and rain outside at the moment!

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    1. Heavy hoarfrost is unusual for us too, so I have to get out there with the camera if it happens. Not much frost at all so far this winter, so I’ll probably be processing some older pics. (Plenty of damp weather, but not too windy, luckily!)

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