A Frosty December Morning

Over the last couple weeks the weather has been much warmer than it should be, but now we're getting back to a much more normal December weather pattern.  There was even the mention of snow in the forecast for next week.  We'll see.  I won't count my chickens but a little snow would make a nice scenery change!  For now though we'll have to enjoy watching the ice crystals form on the vegetation.  Here's a few pictures from this morning's heavy frost.

The blueberry plants that still have leaves are well frosted!

Catmint with frosted white leaf edges.

Even the grass looks cool - well of course it does - it's frost it has to be cool!

Shadows on the frosted grass. 

There's the blue shed!  There frost and shadows here too. 

Yes it's December, it should be thyme for frost!

Is it cold where you are yet?

The Garden, with Frosting!

This time of year it isn't unusual to see the garden in a crystallized form.  Wet winter weather insures that enough moisture is around to turn the landscape into a frosted garden.  The unique appearance of the frosted garden gives the gardener a great opportunity to play around with some photography.  Here are a few photos from this morning at 23 degrees!

Rosemary with frosting.

Here are the dried flower heads of a 'Clara Curtis' mum.  I leave most of the perennial foliage along then cut it back in the early spring.  It adds some winter interest and protects the crown of sensitive/border-line plants from the cold.  The foliage creates and air pocket that insulates the ground just a little.  Sometimes a few degrees matters a lot when you are pushing a zone! (Although 'Clara Curtis' doesn't really need the extra protection here in TN.)

Yews and other evergreens always look nice with a little ice.

'Autumn Joy' sedum seed heads.

'Leyland' cypress trees don't come recommended by many due to their susceptibility to disease but they are beautiful this time of year.  Green with white, very Christmas-y!

I leave coneflower seed heads up to feed the birds.  Finches love them.  Of course I collect them also to grow more in the spring.  Coneflowers are one of the best ornamental plants for your garden or landscape.  They are native, feed the birds, attract beneficial insects and can even be used medicinally.

The birds failed to clean out the 'Arrowwood' Viburnum this year.  The mummified berries look pretty with a layer of white frost.

Heucheras are my favorite planting for shade gardens. Their "evergreen" nature allows them to be enjoyed year round.  Here is one with a frost rim around the leaves.

A self-sown Bradford pear seedling is attractive with a frost rim, despite being one of my least favorite trees!

The catnip is still nice and green and looks attractive with a little frosting.  Perhaps a new treat for the kitty cats in the neighborhood - frosted catnip anyone?

The frosts are chilling the soil a little which makes me wonder about our winter weather this year.  Will we have a snow that actually sticks?  Hmm...my kids are counting on it!

Ice Crystals on a Viburnum Leaf (Photo)

To put it simply: it's darn cold outside!

The frost pocket that is our backyard was down to 5.9 degrees F!

Frosted in Fall (Photo Post)

This morning we awoke to what is our first hard freeze of the season. Here are a few photos of the frost for your chilly enjoyment!

Frost on Grass

Frost near the garden shed.

Frost on the 'Shasta' Viburnum.

While you can't see the frost on the Sweet Autumn Clematis I thought the seed heads were worth a look!

The Frosted Garden

The first frosts are almost always something that this gardener dreads.  Mostly because it is the end of the growing season - mostly, some plants will grow on through the winter. But if you look closely at the frost you can also find it is a thing of beauty.

Frost on Viburnum x burkwoodii

Frost on Butterfly Bush

Frost on a Solar Globe Light

Frost on Oregano

Frost on 'Shasta' viburnum

Frost on Thyme

Have you had your first frost yet?  

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Join the 2011 Fall Color Project and share the brilliance of Autumn!

A Frosty Friday

First let me apologize for not writing much lately.  Life has been busy and I haven't been able to get into the garden as much.  Things are winding down for the cold season fortunately and while there is still much to do in the garden it always seems more manageable when the weeds are no longer actively growing!  This morning I went out and took a few pictures of the hard frost we received last night.  The temperatures which held so nicely for so long have finally given way to more seasonal temperatures.  I love fall at about 70 degrees but it can't last forever!

Frosted 'Shasta' viburnum

'Sheffield Pink' mum under frost

The backyard and blue shed with a frosting.

 A Japanese maple in frost at sunrise.

Frost doesn't mean that gardening has to end for the season.  There's still the cool season crops which with a little aid in the form of hoop houses can continue to thrive this fall.  Of course you can always bring the herbs indoors to enjoy in your cooking and some vegetables can be grown indoors in a sunny location.  If you don't have a sunny spot you could buy a cheap shop light with fluorescent lighting to keep on gardening right on through winter.

How will you continue gardening this winter?

Paul from Bountiful Blessings Farm has a great program on gardening through the winter if you're interested. It's a video series that I'm positive you will learn from.  Please go check it out using this affiliate link (Born to Grow).  I've visited Bountiful Blessings Farm and seen what they do first hand.  I highly recommend them!

How I Protect My Plants from Frost

It's May, and the last thing I thought I'd be writing about is a frost in May (Our last Frost date is usually mid April).  The weather service hasn't put out a frost warning that I know of but with temperatures predicted to be 39 degrees tonight I know my garden is in danger. Our property sits down in a frost pocket that always seems to get 5-10 degrees colder than the surrounding areas. That 39 low becomes more like a 34 or even a 29! It's wise to take some precautions even if the temperatures don't drop that low.

Here's what I did tonight to protect my plants from frost:

• I used old nursery pots (3 gallon size) to cover my tomatoes and coleus. 
• I covered my strawberries and tender potted plants with old blankets.
• I covered any new plants with pots so that they won't receive any damage.
• I covered my potatoes under blankets.
• I also covered a few tender perennials with blankets.

I could use plastic to cover my plants but plastic will transfer the temperature through any point the plant comes in contact with. That's why I prefer cloth blankets of some kind since I can lay them directly on top of the plants without damaging them.

I'll have to make sure that when morning comes I remove it all fairly quickly. The sun will heat up those plastic nursery pots quick and the plants underneath will roast! I'd much rather have my roasted tomatoes with the fruit of the tomato plant and not the tomatoes!

When is your last frost date?

Around the Garden in February

Purple Crocuses

This are warming up again around our Tennessee garden this February.  While I'm writing this post spring-like storms are pouring down outside.  February again seems more like March than February!  But that's how it is sometimes with our weather patterns in TN.  We get some crazy stuff sometimes.  The unseasonable warmth has given rise to many things that would normally be postponed until later.  Some plants seem right on schedule while others are early - too early.  For today's post here is a quick look around my garden at what's happening!

Blooms from daffodils in the Japanese maple garden are brightening up our patio area!

The daffodils in the Japanese maple garden

 More crocuses are beginning to emerge in one of our front gardens. 

This 'Autumn Joy' sedum is sprouting new growth.  'Autumn joy' has a tendency to flop over in the summer.  You can reduce that from happening some by trimming it back in mid to late spring.

Here's a mass of cilantro that was planted last fall from seed.  Check out this post for more growing tips on cilantro - it's an easy herb to grow!

The forsythia is almost ready to bloom.  Here's one flower that is just about open.  Blooms are coming along at breakneck speed!

A peach tree I planted last spring is loaded with flower blossoms.  It may need some help this year.  Deer visit us in the night, frosts may be coming, and who knows what other ailments may arise.  Peaches are picky!  

The following picture is my favorite of this post.  The frost crystals on this viburnum are highlighted by the morning sunshine from the other morning.  Very cool - more ways than one! 

How's spring coming in your garden?

The Last Frost Date

The last frost date is one of the most important dates for gardeners.  The last frost date determines when to plant the vegetables and ornamentals at the best possible time for maximum growth over the season.  Some plants like being planted before the frost date while others have to be planted afterward.

Last year Spring and warm weather came early to Middle Tennessee where we live.  My heirloom vegetable plant business targeted the last frost date then factored in two extra weeks to allow the soil time to warm up. My plan was to offer my plants at just the right time for planting to my customers.  I wanted to give my customers the best possible conditions for their gardens to succeed.  Normally the last frost date for our area of Middle Tennessee is April 15th and if you add two more weeks to give the soil time to warm up you end up with a planting date at the end of April.  The weather last year was different.  It warmed up very early and daring gardeners were able to get their warm season plants planted extremely early.

I don't recommend planting warm season plants before April 15th.  I noticed last week that one of our home improvement stores already had their warm season plants on the shelves.  The morning I was there was right after a hard frost which killed a good portion of their warm season vegetables.  Many gardeners don't realize the importance of the frost date and assume that because the store provides them it must be time to plant.  It definitely isn't a good way to determine when to plant your vegetables!

Gardeners need to know when the frost date is for your area.  It can vary greatly depending on where you live.  The farther north you live the later the frost date will be but other factors can effect your frost chances on a local level.  If you live on a shaded hillside or in a frost pocket your safe planting date may be later too.  Sometimes factors like stonework, paving, and brick walls can create heat sinks that will effectively move the frost date up a little.

If you want to cheat the frost date even more consider using old windows to create mini-greenhouses or use milk jugs for cloches (See my post Seed Sowing 101: Timing Your Seeds is Everything for more info).  To heat the soil up faster lay clear plastic over the area for a couple weeks before planting.

Remember the last frost date is just a guideline for determining when to plant and is not a guarantee   It's possible frost could happen after the last frost date but the odds are much lower after that date.  Just watch the weather and watch the calendar.  Those are two things gardeners excel at!