We woke to minus 5C this morning in a bedroom not a lot warmer. On the downside this means praying that my heath-robinson insulation efforts in the middle polytunnel have kept my exotics alive. It also means I can’t do much outside until the thaw sets in.

But on the upside, the frost works its magic on evergreens and the few remaining seedheads, giving me a perfect photographic opportunity. So a self-indulgent picture blog follows:

An evergreen bronze grass – probably Coman’s Bronze.

Phlomis russeliana. It took me a long time standing in the cold to wait for the sunlight to pick up the stems, but worth it I think.

I’m not sure what this is the seed head of, possibly Telekia? If so it looks better in winter than summer.


And yet another picture of Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’. This plant is beautiful for 12 months of the year.

And an odd little picture for the fun of it

February 16, 2008