Hoar frost

Daphniphyllum macropodum

Trochodendron aralioides

Last night was the coldest of the winter, so far, with the thermometer reading -10C when I fed the poultry at 8.30 am. Everything is white, the ground covered in a thin layer of icy snow, and every prominent surface covered in beautiful hoar frost. Here are a few broad-leaved evergreens outlined in ice: one wonders what their fate will be. I shudder for the Schefflera, and may mourn the Mahonia; the Quercus rysophylla will probably defoliate, but should be fine, while the other two are unlikely to be damaged.

Schefflera rhododendrifolia

Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'

Quercus rysophylla