Widespread heavy frosts have finally descended on most parts of the country (some snow even on certain areas) last weekend and our garden wasn't spared.
The way that some of the plants were bowing down due to to the freezing cold and frosty weather (and it stayed like that all weekend) looked like they were submitting themselves to the powers of nature. Or bowing down to welcome the return of winter. Technically, if you follow what the calendar dictates it is still autumn. But if you go by feeling and seeing what it looks like around you, then winter has definitely arrived. And often that's the best way of telling the departure of old and arrival of a new season, simply by how the way it feels.
Ooops, there goes this Begonia...
And so is this Colocasia. Both will be back again next spring.
I think these will be mush as soon as they defrost...
Bright Begonias no more
The frosted plants and biting cold outside made it unmistakeable, winter is definitely here.
A messy tangle of frozen Tinantias
What was once a proud Ricinus...
Droopy clump of Hedychium
Splat!
This flattened Gunnera reminds me of a fainting diva for some reason...
But, despite spending most of the weekend in the garden, we kept ourselves warm by working mostly in the filtration house. The insulation we have put in there last year whilst constructing it has certainly paid dividends. Keeping the door and windows closed, with gentle heating courtesy of a small fan heater and presto, it was t-shirt weather inside.
Getting organised with various bits and bobs...
Despite the cosy warmth inside, the pacing of the work there was also slow. Plumbing done by two non plumbers is not an easy task and the words frustrating and infuriating have crossed our minds often. Still there were some progress at the end of the weekend and we're definitely getting there...
At the end of a plumbing weekend, we're still gardeners after all. There's free space here, so why not shove in these plants?
The song that was playing on the radio as we were packing up after a weekend of plumbing was Baby, It's Cold Outside and I thought how appropriate that was at that time. Any cold experienced during the few seconds journey back into the house was immediately remedied by mugs of hot cocoa!Mark :-)
