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Fog and Hoar Frost

Today in Edmonton

The Snowman by Wallace Stevens

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

"The Snowman" by Wallace Stevens

It Was One Frigid Week Across the Continent!

Today is the beginning of a warmer trend in our city with highs near -5 Celsius expected later today.  Currently it is -14 C and the car windows are frosty but the sky is clear and the sunrise sheds hues of mauve and pink near the horizon.

Yesterday was another story.  I drove to work in ice fog, which is rather pretty but it was too dark to really enjoy it at 5 am.  The drive home was incredibly beautiful with hoar frost decorating the branches and needles of the trees that line the roadside.  Beautiful but cold.  Our city temperatures overnight set a record low for the coldest day on record at the International Airport with lows of -26 Celsius.  It warmed to -13 C but the wind picked up and it was pretty bitter to walk in.

This is what Global News had to say on the weather for the continent.  Looks like we are all cold! 

So I looked further and discovered the cause of the cold was a typhoon that began November 4, crossing the ocean and meeting air in the arctic which then swept over the continent with temperatures 15 degrees below normal.

I recall January being the coldest month of winter but that seems to have shifted over the years and now it seems November and December have become the coldest months.  Remember December 21st is the first day of winter?  Well, someone forgot to tell Old Man Winter because he has stopped in for a prolonged stay like the unwanted houseguest who just will not leave.

On the other hand, this is also the season of beauty.  Sure the leaves are gone, the air is crisp, and the roads downright treacherous; but the snow sparkles like small diamonds when light catches the small crystals.  The local greenhouses are decked out in Christmas and winter finery and there is nothing quite like visiting your favourite greenhouse this time of year.  The aroma of fresh pine fills the air and every so often the sweet fragrance that reminds you of Christmas baking lingers in the small vignettes displaying scented sachets and candles.  Mmmmm......

Here is a sample of the Christmas store set up at Greenland Greenhouse this year.  It is my go to destination where I escape the rush and stress of working in retail this time of year.  The area twinkles with hundreds of mini-lights and a reindeer greets you with songs of the season.  Come linger with me for a while, won't you?

More to come soon so if you love to visit greenhouses at Christmas, be sure to bookmark this blog!!

Warm winter days and hoar frost photos

The first photos here were taken when it was relatively warm, before Christmas.  

 

Christmas saw average highs of -20 Celsius and lows in the negative 20's with windchill bringing it as cold as -39 C. 

 Hoar frost is so beautiful!  These trees were lightly touched by the frost, but the last three photos were taken by my husband in the Bonnyville/Cold Lake area where the hoar frost was thick and beautiful.

How's your weather?  Today we expect highs around -4 which is downright balmy!!  Where's the sunscreen?

Hoar Frost March 2012

Sun on the Horizon

After a week of snowfall, with 35 cm the previous weekend and more every day since, adding up to 99 cm (almost a metre) of snow in a week, we are all looking forward to sun with great anticipation!  The forecast calls for highs in the low negative digits, which will make a mess out of our snow congested roadways, but I think not many will complain. 

In the meantime, how about a tour of my winter garden.

 I went around the side of the house to take these photos which meant trudging through snow that was half-way up my thigh.  All these photos were taken mid-week last week and there's been more flurries since.  Above is a weeping juniper, Tolleson's.  These are quite pretty when encrusted in hoar frost.  Each dangling strand of the evergreen foliage covered in white glistening frost. 

 Above, a close-up of the dangling samaras of the Amur Maple.  They too have a bit of snow and hoar frost on them.

 Above, a look at a white pine, up close and personal.

 Cedars are weighed down with mounds of snow beside our deck.  I am so glad we planted these.  They are going to be great for privacy though they grow only a modest 6 or so inches a year.

 A view from the other side of the house.  Above you can see a dried flower from Hydrangea Pink Diamond.  To the side are three cedars and directly in front, in the photo, is the Amur Maple.  In the background you can see the other Tolleson's Weeping Juniper.  I just love this juniper for its unique growth habit.  It is a great focal point in the winter garden when the leaves from the nearby maples have fallen and it stands alone, in full glory, a contrast to the stark white drifts of snow.

 Above and below are two photos of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.  I have three of these in my yard, two in the back garden and one in front.  Because one of the spruce in the back is not very sheltered it has browned a bit over the years.  I am considering removing it altogether.  That means more planting!!  See what I mean about winter being the time for gardening enthusiasts to analyze and plan their garden?

 The above photo shows the hoar frost that delicately coats the needles of the Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

The above photo was taken through my bedroom window, thus the screen effect in the foreground.  This is the far back corner in the garden where a mountain ash stands as an attraction to birds.  We had a visit on Sunday from hundreds of cedar waxwings who love mountain ash berries.  But that is another post, coming soon.  In the foreground is an Alberta Spruce, behind it a topiaried white pine, and, almost buried beyond recognition, another Alberta Spruce.  Left of it is one of my favourite shrubs ever, a Galahad Mock Orange.  I have featured this shrub as part of my "Spotlight on" series.  Its branches are a reddish-brown and stand out in the landscape as does the bark of the mountain ash.

 Here, under the amur maple, sits another topiaried white pine.  The snow here is close to three feet deep.

Last, but not least, is a close-up of the berries of the mountain ash.   This is a European mountain ash.  I learned this second hand from a professor at Olds College who taught that European mountain ash leaves come out in spring in a bud that is rather hairy, before fully emerging.  Yes, that's this tree alright!  Somewhat messy as it drops some of its berries, I don't regret planting it because it is such a feature in the winter garden.  It makes a nice, somewhat dappled shade in the summer and the bark is a gorgeous red-brown.  The birds love it too.

Hope all is warm and sheltered where you are.  If you see the sun, send it our way, won't you?

The Beauty of Winter

I have seen more hoar frost this winter than previous years.  It is a breathtaking sight to look upon nature dressed in its winter finery!  Hoar frost is created in much the same manner as dew, individual droplets of moisture form on an object, especially an object small in diameter and exposed to the air.  The object upon which these droplets form is below freezing in temperature.  The dewpoint of the air becomes saturated as it cools thus forming hoar frost on the objects.  Here is a photo my mother sent me of some trees in Southern Alberta covered in hoar frost. 

Moments like this help the avid gardener step back and take a breath to enjoy the wondrous beauty winter brings. We need to pause and enjoy the beauty of this season as the earth takes a rest, enveloped in glorious white as only this time of year can bring.

Gardening Calendar:

February:

• Plant tomato seeds indoors.
• Begin fertilizing house plants.
• Peruse gardening catalogues and place orders.