by Leslie Cox; Saturday; January 25, 2025
Every morning has been frosty this week with temperatures dipping as low as -6 °C (21.2 °F). Been bringing in the hummingbird feeders overnight…except for the one night I forgot. The two feeders were frozen solid the next morning so I had to scramble to get another two outside for the birds with what little prepared syrup I had in the fridge. The hair dryer was then brought into action to gently thaw the frozen feeders before the little bit of syrup in the other two froze too.
I should mention I received a severe face-to-face scolding one morning for being a tad late putting the feeders out. Duly chastised, I made sure the feeders were out just as light was breaking.
One of the benefits of freezing nights, they usually dissolve into sunny days which warmed up enough to encourage us out into the garden on a couple of afternoons. John had been mumbling about my English laurel hedge, Prunus laurocerasus, saying it needed to be brought down to a more respectable height. I couldn’t argue because at 15 feet (4.6 m), or more, high it was really becoming a monster. It was also bordering on too tall for John to safely tackle on his own. Hence, my need to be outside with him if only to keep a watchful eye.
Not one to just stand around unless I was needed for ladder security, tool runner, or general Girl Friday requirements, I gathered my own tools and set to work on removing more of the Omphalodes cappadocica (navelwort) groundcover under the large Rhododendron ‘Anna Rose Whitney’. It is slow going but I am encouraged to see there is some progress. Pulling back some of the leaf mulch covering the area I had tackled last autumn I did not see any hint of new growth from pieces of root I may have missed. Of course, it is only January and the weather has been cold but, I was reasonably sure there was a possibility of green growth under the blanket of thick chestnut leaves. Fingers are crossed this patch remains Omphalodes free!
Time to recount my garden walkabouts this past week…and there were a few encouraging sightings.
Top of the list were the leaves on my three roses: Rosa ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’, Rosa ‘Abraham Darby’ and Rosa ‘Étoile de Hollande’. Whilst the branches are not fully “clothed” in green, all of the leaves are a glossy green without any hint of frost damage…even though the leaves were dusted with frost crystals most mornings this week. Amazing!
Part of this phenomenon is due to the protection the house provides ‘Abraham Darby’ and ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’ as they are both in the front garden in the lee of the house. Not so my ‘Étoile de Hollande’. Its roots are firmly planted under the eave of the house but being a climber it has stretched its height is leaning southwards towards the sun…right out in the open where there is no protection from the cold and frost or even the wind.
Proves just how tough roses can be, doesn’t it?
