A Frosty Secret

Frosty Secret Garden

A rare sunny winter morning in the Pacific Northwest. The sun slung so low in the southern sky that it casts a warm light on a chilly Secret Garden.

Awe-inspiring moments

Back lit frozen leaf

The older I get, the more awe-inspiring moments I have with the simplest things. I walked out my front door and saw this fallen leaf getting lit up with the low slung winter sun. I stopped dead in my tracks and marveled at the scene. Just wonderful.

Frozen, frosty, fallen leaves

Frosty fallen leaves

Frost makes nearly everything beautiful. This pile of frozen, frosty, fallen leaves, twigs looks sensational with a coat of frost.

Stipa Anonymous

Stipa tenuissima

My wife says I should go to Stipa Anonymous. She may be right. I do go a little crazy for it. And Mexican feather grass does find its way into many of my flower beds. But why shouldn't it? I walked out my front door just as the morning sun was back lighting this delightful grass. And this was in the dead of winter.

Saying good-bye to the Melianthus major

Top: Dec 5; Bottom: Jan 7

What a difference a month makes. The top photo was taken December 5th--before our string of cccccold clear days. The bottom photo was taken today, January 8th. The Melianthus major was going strong well into the holiday season. When temps dipped into the low teens, the leaves said, "Enough!" It's at this point that I cut the entire plant down and stack the cuttings on top, along with twigs, branches and fallen leaves--my mulch of choice.

Hellebore

I've not done right by my Hellebore. I've purchased many, some of which were high dollar purchases from Heronswood--the real Heronswood that Dan and his cohorts owned and operated. The magic I feel when I see them sited well and looking gorgeous in other gardens hasn't translated to my garden. So last spring I moved this Hellebore right next to the front walk in the Front Yard in hopes that seeing its evergreen presence (and nice blooms!) during the long, dark and wet winters days here in the Pacific Northwest would give me a boost each day. It seems to be working.

Dew drops on fennel seeds

Ferula communis

I love how the morning light catches the dew drops hanging from the seed heads of what I'm pretty sure is Giant Fennel.