Friday, January 8, 2010

The Twenties

It is really cold here in Central Texas today! It is only in the 20's outside. I don't know for sure how cold it was last night, but it was damn near the teens if I were to hazard a guess. I wrapped up all my plants so they would be snugly warm and brought the meyer lemon and all my hanging pots into the garage. My Jar fountain froze nearly solid. I had to chip a hole through the top with a hammer and chisel. I have never had a problem with it freezing solid like that before. Luckily the water inside the jar wasn't frozen, so it was still running, just under the several-inch thick ice cap on the fountain. I also made sure to fill the bird bath bowl with new warm water after dumping out the block of ice that I found in it this morning.

Not all is frozen in the garden, however. The Paperwhites shrug off the cold and freezing winds and continue to bloom:



The possumhaw berries are looking quite splendid with silver ponyfoot beneath. I will note that this ponyfoot here is on the east side of the house by the brick wall where it doesn't freeze down. The ponyfoot I have in the back on the North side has all frozen back except for the bit directly snuggled up to the wall of the house:



And I have a new bird visiting my garden this week; a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. He's pretty little thing:



He has a pretty red tuft on his head that he can raise up when excited, hence the name 'Ruby-crowned':

6 comments:

Pam/Digging said...

Does the kinglet like the berries on the possumhaw? I sure do, esp. against the silver ponyfoot. Nice combo!

Cindy, MCOK said...

I'm with Pam, I really like the combination of the red berries and silver ponyfoot. Aren't those Ruby Crowned Kinglets just the cutest things?

sweetbay said...

Great shots of the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet! I saw one eating the dried berries off of one of my Callicarpa japonica (they were just the right size for him). They are the cutest birds.

Red and silver is a stellar combination. We have Possamhaw growing wild here and I love how shiny the berries are.

I envy your Paperwhites! I wish mine would bloom but all they do is increase and split.

Lee17 said...

Pam,

I dunno, but I am glad you like it! I love silver ponyfoot.

Lee17 said...

Cindy,

Thanks! They are so cute! I love birds. I try to provide them some shelter and food by planting shrubs and trees with berries and leaving the dried seedsheads on the plants over the winter.

Lee17 said...

Sweet bay,

Thanks! I didn't know they liked berries so well! I thought they were more bug-eaters. Now I know they like berries too. And my Paperwhites aren't looking so stellar anymore. A freeze in the teens the next evening took right care of that! Sigh.