Maybe it's because I just never noticed.
Or, maybe it was because the grasses in the Deer Grove
were all pushed over or washed away,
in the Halloween Flood.
Or, maybe I was looking out the window,
at just the right time.
But, I got to see the Frostweed, when it was doing its thing.
I was looking out the kitchen window,
and I could see something white in the Grove.
It was 24 degrees.
Yes...not bad, considering the blizzard going on
in the Northeast.
So, I grabbed my camera and went out to investigate.
Sure enough...it was the Frostweed.
Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) stores water in its stems.
When the temperature gets really low,
the stems burst open, and the water comes out and freezes.
I didn't touch it. But, it looks like shaving cream.
When I went out a couple hours later,
the foam was gone....as if it never was there.
Isn't Nature interesting?
I searched my files, and couldn't find one photo of this
plant in summer.
So, I borrowed one from the Wildflower site.
www.wildflower.org
It's a nice looking plant, although unremarkable until it blooms.
The white bloom clusters are nice.
It blooms in early fall.
In the Grove, it lives without much water....none at all in most summers.
And, the deer don't touch it.
Maybe I need to move one up to the house.
Not sure how well it might transplant.
*****************
We haven't had any real rain in a while.
Less than a tenth of an inch, over a week ago.
We're supposed to be getting more rain than usual,
because of El Nino.
We'll have to water soon, if nothing happens.
*****************
I hope you're safe a warm where you are.
'Til next time...
Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~
As always frost on plants adds a special touch tot he winter garden. Frost weed does its magic twice. Once when it flowers and another when it frosts. I still forgot to check mine out. I had to cut a huge patch down that was inside the garden. I was afraid it was about to take over.
ReplyDeleteIt must be deer proof to get a pass in the grove. A friend dug some up for me so it transplants well, I also planted seed but haven't seen any seedlings. Hasn't been cold enough to split this far south, maybe this week.
ReplyDeleteVery cool plant! It certainly got colder there than it did here in Montgomery county. Frost but not 24* worth.
ReplyDeleteHappy January1
So far the one frostweed I know about here hasn't seen enough cold to display, but I'm not complaining. And, mine was a passalong, so they do seem to handle transplanting without much fuss, though the bloom display was not quite as striking as on a well established plant. Thanks for sharing your shaving cream photos - great shots!
ReplyDelete