Friday, January 21, 2011

Now That's an 'ice Picture!

Thanks to my friend, Buddy, for inspiring the title of this post, after I uploaded my Euphorbia 'Blackbird' to my Facebook page. His comment was pure simplicity in clever and humorous form;-)

Euphorbia 'Blackbird' (a.k.a. 'Spurge', it's common name)


Well, it IS an 'ice picture, don't you agree?!


And on that note, here are some more 'ice plants that I photographed during our recent ice storm:

Lagerstroemia indica Crepe Myrtle branch with dried blooms

Various Coneflowers (Echinacea) were also posing nicely for this photo-shoot:



This particular coneflower (below) has been featured in a couple of other posts I've written on winter interest.

Echinacea purpura Purple Coneflower

I'm glad I still haven't cut it back as in it's frozen state, it further demonstrates the natural art that occurs by allowing your garden to 'go wild' during the non-growing season--whether simply posing dried, dusted with snow or frozen solid in ice!


 A few more...
Echinacea purpura 'Double Pink Delight'


And this is what you get when you allow your Russian Sage to stay 'natural'...sometimes it looks messy, but with ice or snow it really glows:

Perovskia (Russian Sage)


Are those diamonds or just CZ's?!



Even the Aster's look nice on ice:

Aster novae-angliae


How about Sedum 'Autumn Joy' with a bit of an icing? 


Hylotelephium Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Or Blue Mist Shrub:

Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue'

Or the frozen 'hips' of the Carpet Rose?


Even the stems/branches of the rose bush are eye-catching with a little ice:



How about a clematis vine encased in ice?


Or colorful berries of the dwarf Nandina, highlighted by leaves covered with frozen water crystals?

Nandina 'Harbor Dwarf'

And last but certainly not least, the evergreens put on quite a show of their own:

Leyland Cypress tree



Next up: my entry in the GGW photo contest: Macro in a Mason Jar. Stay tuned!

Today I'm thankful for the changing weather, which gives rise to changing views and drama in the garden.


Words and photos ©Thanks for today.™, by Jan Huston Doble
Written by Jan @ http://www.thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/ Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without express permission of the author.
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15 comments:

  1. Lona1/21/11, 2:37 PM

    Hi Jan. Oh my, I sympathize with you on all of that ice when it comes to walking and driving but doesn't it make beautiful plant sculptures. The cypress tree is just gorgeous.
    Good luck on the Mason Jar pictures. I did try. LOL! They were laughable and really ugly.
    Have a safe and warm weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liz1/21/11, 2:41 PM

    Hi Jan,

    Oh my, they are all so amazing!

    I don't even want to imagine what it's like trying to walk, let alone drive but it certainly looks amazing.

    After our last lot of snow in December I bought myself some 'grip ons' which are used for walking in snow and ice, you simply put them on over trainers - although quite how good they'll be in ice like that, I'm not so confident!

    I hope it melts for you soon though, have a good weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Linda Lunda1/21/11, 3:10 PM

    Amazing! How beautiful!
    Better than any yemstone!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Darla1/21/11, 3:50 PM

    Although it's pretty in photos, I bet it's so cold out! My favorites are the evergreens...my old tired coneflowers look similar, just without ice. Can't wait to see your Mason Jar photo, I bet you put all the rest of us to shame.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Carol1/21/11, 4:11 PM

    Exquisite Jan! Your first photograph reminds me of a brooch. Winter ice is treacherous, but makes for gorgeous photos!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Janet, The Queen of Seaford1/21/11, 4:32 PM

    Your ice pictures are amazing. The Leyland Cypress are the iciest! wowwwwww!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chloe m1/21/11, 5:07 PM

    I love that Cypress covered with ice! It is just beautiful. And the CZ is an accurate description, indeed!
    Keep warm...
    Rosey

    ReplyDelete
  8. Curbstone Valley Farm1/21/11, 5:20 PM

    Brrrr...that looks chilly! I love the shots of the Leyland Cypress though, just perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shady Gardener1/21/11, 7:13 PM

    Beautiful photos - but I'm glad the ice isn't over here (right now, at least!). Thanks for sharing! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. sweetbay1/21/11, 9:00 PM

    Buddy is right! The coneflower and Russian Sage look beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous1/21/11, 11:27 PM

    These are very pretty frozen plant images. The ice makes even dead foliage sparkle.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Toni - Signature Gardens1/22/11, 12:33 AM

    Cold can be very pretty :-) That Leyland Cypress is quite stunning on ice :-) Thanks for braving the elements to get a pictures. I'm working on my Mason Jar picture, too. Kind of fun :-) Hard to choose which picture to use. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Carolyn ♥1/22/11, 9:28 AM

    So nice to see someone else embracing the beauty of Winter. Love your ice pics!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Les1/22/11, 10:33 AM

    They are all lovely, but I especially like the first two. However, I can honestly say I am tired of seeing scenes like this. Stay warm!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Swimray1/24/11, 8:08 PM

    Stopped in after your post on my blog. I haven't been keeping up with my blog reading this winter. I am sure you are glad the ice was not damaging and disappeared in one day. I'm glad you had time to take some photos.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to comment! Please enjoy your TODAY and all of the gifts in YOUR garden of life!

Jan

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