Finally -- Frost!

I got my first hard frost last night. I was actually glad. Now, perhaps, our trees will start shedding and I can begin to cut things back and put the borders to bed under a blanket of chopped leaves.

I was starting to fear another wacky winter. Over the weekend I noticed that the PJM rhododendron near my front door had two blooms. (A strange sight given the plant's red fall foliage.) And I certainly didn't want to lose all my spring bloom to an unseasonably warm fall and winter again. (Nor to another late spring frost next year!)

Although I'm not a fan of cold weather, for the sake of my garden, I'm hoping for a more average winter -- maybe even some snow cover this year.