Thursday, October 1, 2009

Jack Frost




Jack Frost

"Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one."

- Helen Bayley Davis -



Well Jack Frost came early to us here in Ohio
for the first day of October, but I am sure it has painted
the fields and gardens of many across the states.
I rushed yesterday in between the sprinkles
to set the remaining pots of flowers on the
front porch and made sure others were
under the trees.



One of the disappointments of this summers blooms
was that only one of my hydrangea bushes bloomed.
So waiting until the last minute this Nikko blue
hydrangea just decided to finally set on some blooms.




I was so excited when I saw it getting some blooms,
thinking better late than never but now with the frost
coming it will be touch and go to see the blooms grow
big enough to get her pretty blue flowers.
It made it through this mornings frost being up
against the house and under the eaves, we also
had a lot of fog so this helped save it.
I will baby it along hoping that we still will have some
warm weather yet.



All of my flowers look to be alright, even all of
the Impatiens and the little coleus plants that
are planted in different places.



Even the bugs were looking for some sun this
morning to get warmed up.




Congratulations to all of the wonderful gardeners
that were winner in the Blotanical awards.
I was so appreciative of the nominations that I
received from you who have become friends over
the last year and I am looking forward to many
years of friendship with my old blogging buddies
and to the new.
I have learned so much from you and gained so
much from your giving nature.
You all are a wealth of knowledge and have been
there to answer my silly questions.
Also thanks to those of you who have shared
your seeds and you know who you are.
Now the pressure will be on to get them to grow ;-)

Thank you!




15 comments:

Gail said...

Frost! It seems way too early, but then it is October! Lona, we cover our plants with sheets if we know the weather will warm up...It helps keep the flowers a little longer. I hope you get to see your hydrangea bloom~~gail

Balisha said...

Hi Lona,
So many nice pictures to look at. I always enjoy my time spent here.
Balisha

Darla said...

FROST? Oh heck no, not so early!!! Your plants look great!!! My husband and I have been watching a few things in our yard wondering if it means and early cold winter..larger than normal acorns, squirrels running to their nests with whole pinecones and an abundance of the fuzzy caterpillars? just wondering, have you seen any strange stuff indicating a different type of winter for you?

Unknown said...

Jack visited us too. He wasn't quite so friendly here though. Poor plants. I'm SO done with plant hauling! My bugs have all abandoned us for the year it seems.

Jan said...

Hi Lona, Frost already...wow. We aren't there, yet...but it will arrive soon enough;( Believe it or not, I have abiut 10 plants in pots, in my front yard, and more than that in the back yard, that need to go into the ground! I've had them sitting there for months...if I don't get them in soon, they won't make it! How dumb is that? I spent money of these things and then I have let them sit in the gardens. For a 'gardener' I sure feel lazy!
I like the poem you included, and what you said at the end of your post. I really think you are deserving of an award, too...and wish you'd gotten one:)

Anonymous said...

What a great poem; I'm glad your garden didn't seem to sustain damage from Jack Frost's wand!

Chloe m said...

Nice poems, thanks for sharing... I guess fall had to come sometime. Now we need to get those bulbs in the ground before it snows.
Rosey

Anonymous said...

Hi Lona~~ Frost already? I hope it was a fluke and that sunshine and warmth will return for a few more weeks...just a few...

Did you kill the stink bug? Sometimes if I pop a raspberry in my mouth without checking it first, I will get not just a berry but a berry with a bug. It's not a mistake I make often. Believe me. :]

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I hope your Nikko Blue will be able to finish blooming! Our first frost could be anywhere from 2 weeks to a month from now.
Congratulations on your nominations, I've enjoyed following your blog and seeing the pretty scenery where you are!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad your plants survived the frost. I've been busy all day bringing my tender pots indoors because we're supposed to have our first frost tonight. Maybe I'll be as lucky as you were. I'm hoping for some warm weather yet too.

Colleen Wms said...

My coleus are always THE first annual to get slaughtered once the temp hovers at 32. One day they are all colorful, the next day they are black and dead. Surprised yours are still doing so well?

Lona said...

Gail: You are right it is October and I guess I am just trying to keep away the cold. The summer went much too fast.

Balisha: Thank you and I am so glad to see you are getting along so well. Answered prayers.

Darla: I have not saw ant wooly worms but the cicadas told the truth on the first frost hitting us 90 days after they had sang.We had such a cool summer I just am naturally looking for and early, wet, cold winter here in Ohio.

Cinj: I wish our bugs would go but as soon as it gets cold the Asian ladybugs come pouring in on us.

Jan: I put it off this fall too. But seems I just got my backside in gear at the right moment.

Nancy: It survived this go around but they are saying there may be snow next week here. That is just not right ;-)

Rosey: Thank goodness I have most of my new bulbs and plants in the ground.I keep putting the ones I ordered into the ground as soon as I get them.

Grace: LOL, stink bugs and berries just do not mix to well.

Catherine: I sure hope it gets to bloom but I am not holding out much hope for it since they are saying we may have snow next week. I hope it goes north. Sorry, all of my friends in Canada ;-)

Colleen: I know girl I just expected that everything would be scorch at least from the frost but lucked out this time.

Chiot's Run said...

My hydrangea bloomed very late as well this year.

Wanted to stop by and say hello to a fellow Ohio gardener, saw you on Blotanical!

Unknown said...

Oooh... I feel really lucky. We escaped the frost up here by the lake--even my basil and sweet potato vines (which are usually the first to freak out on me) were intact when I got home yesterday.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your 'Nikko Blue' to put on a show after all... :)

Anonymous said...

I hope Jack Frost didn't get you too bad. All is well here, didn't lose a plant! Leaving on vacation in the morning though, so they are on their own from here on out. Weather reports don't show any nights below 40. Glad my cosmos finally bloomed, but still nothing from the stock. Can you believe it? My hydrangea has the burnt up leaves, but gorgeous blooms. Hope it gets a lot bigger next year. Talk to you in about a week!