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.

Through a leaf lightly

A fallen Carpinus japonica leaf

I love the frosty mornings when the entire garden is silvery and even the most mundane of objects--fallen leaves--become scrims for the low-slung, nearly-winter sun.

Window into winter

Frosty windows in the Secret Garden

Although framed to look like windows, this Trompe l'Oeil is actually a mirror. It's used to extend the view from the meander looking into the Secret Garden. I came upon this scene as I wandered through the garden as the sun was just starting to faintly fall in the Secret Garden.

A frosty mornin' for the urn

Frost on urn in the Secret Garden

Sun and cold and frost. What a great combo! With temperatures falling into the upper teens, and ample moisture left over from weeks of rain, the garden has turned into a silvery paradise. Centered in the Secret Garden, the metal urn usually plays host to a delightful Agave Americana marginata. But in the rainy winter months, the urn is empty while the Agave takes up residence in the greenhouse.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden from the Piazzetta

One of my favorite views in my garden is looking at the Secret Garden from the Piazzetta. (This is looking the opposite way from the view in this post.) Here in the pale Fall light, the leaves scattered on the path and the boxwood make for a quiet scene of transition. My habit is to pause here and and take in not only the plants, but to take a measure of the season. Where have we just come from? Where are we headed? What am I missing?

Southward Across the Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

Looking south from the bench in the Secret Garden, the pale fall light scatters through bare branches and highlights the yellowing leaves. The lavender, which should have been cut back at the end of August remains unshorn. The Italian Alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca, 'Fragola di Bosco') in the parterre are still producing fruit.