A winterval

We've just had a brief spell of winter.

The frosty nights that were forecast for the later part of last week turned out to be accompanied by an overnight fall of snow; not heavy, but a good covering of the ground, with temperatures barely above freezing by day and a degree or two below by night.  The remains of most of the tender plants, such as the cosmos, and the courgette plants, were sent to the compost bins ahead of this, and I also managed to pull up most of the surplus foxglove plants that had seeded out of what has become the foxglove and antirrhinum patch into the veg plot paths and were taking over.  While I was down there I noticed a few last antirrhinum flowers and, as they weren’t going to last long in the cold, I cut them and brought them inside to make a little posy for the table.

A few last antirrhinums

My main concern is for the dahlias, still in their pots.  You’re supposed to leave them until the frost has blackened the tips of the leaves, but they were frozen into their compost, which won’t be good for them.  I cut off the top growth, or what remained of it, and laid the stems across the tubers for a little protection, with some tattered bits of horticultural fleece on top for good measure.  The smaller pots were taken into the greenhouse, although temperatures in there also dropped to below zero, which isn’t ideal.  I haven’t been out in the rain to see what the damage is; fingers crossed that the tubers won’t be too frosted.  A pot of basil that had also been taken into the greenhouse to recover from an attack of greenfly is looking brown at the edges, so may be on the way out (and I hope that the greenfly are too).

The cold won’t have affected the winter honeysuckle, which is starting to lose its leaves (it’s always the last shrub to drop them) but is producing plenty of little flowers. 

Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera purpusii)

The wind has now turned to the west, bringing rain and slightly warmer temperatures; still single figures (centigrade) and with a chilly wind, but clearing all the snow and ice.  The forecast is for it to continue damp (or downright wet) and rather less cold.  The birds will be pleased with that; they’ve been enjoying our crop of cooking apples on the table outside the dining room window.

But despite the coming winter, there are signs of the spring beyond in the garden: catkins on the hazels, and - to my surprise - flower buds on the camellia that has never flowered.  Next year I may at last discover what colour the flowers are!

Hazel catkins

Camellia buds!