Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
February has found me delighted to find and photograph some of my favorite things that occur this time of year. Two cheerful early bloomers and some hoar frost! What I can’t stop calling “Hoary Frost” with a “-y”, maybe because another name for it is “Hairy frost” because that is what it looks like.
Frost & Ice:
I’ve been trying to get a good picture of this phenomenon for a while now. This type of frost occurs when you have a sudden freeze on a clear cold night. Because I live in Western Washington where we often have damp foggy air we only get the opportunity for this type of frost a few times of year. Once the sun rises the delicate structure of hair-like ice strands quickly melt.
I found this hoar frost on the leeward side of my giant mulch pile the morning after a clear cold night where temperatures reached nearly 20°F (-6°C).
More pictures of the Hoar/Hairy frost:
The birdbath turned into a frozen explosion of water.
This Begonia leaf is feeling frosty.
My two favorite early bloomers:
Pink Dawn Viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Pink Dawn’)
This beauty doesn’t just look amazing, it also smells amazing! When I was at the garden nursery a few years back I smelled it before I saw it. Once I saw it, I had to take it home. I dragged the 20lb pot across half the length of the nursery in the rain before I finally found a cart to put it on!
and the unscented…
Common Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginica var. macrophylla)
These two witch-hazel trees are outside the Woodinville, Washington library on the west side of the building.
Snowdrop failure?
I planted some Snowdrops this last Fall, but I haven’t seen any of them yet. I’m starting to wonder if the area I put them in is too dry or if the squirrels had a very Merry Christmas buffet of the bulbs.
Have a good rest of your week!
Reminder: Next Photo Submission
Ferns and/or Unexpected Blooms
Due: February 28th
To be posted on: March 1st
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