Cold comfort
Winter is a tough time for the garden and the gardener. There is not a lot to do and it is too cold to do it! But the winter garden has its own beauty if you take the time to look. Magazines are filled with enticing photos of dried stems in borders, iced with snow or dusted with frost. Unfortunately, after the wind and rain of recent weeks most seed heads are looking well past what anyone could call beautiful unless covered with a heavy coating of snow. But if you get up early enough on a cold day a heavy frost can make everyday plants look beautiful as I found out the other morning.
Brukale, a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts, has green or purple, frilly leaves in the variety ‘Petit Posy’. In place of the sprouts are mini, frilly rosettes of tasty leaves. take care to keep plants clear of whitefly and mealy aphids, especially if you are a vegetarian
Foxgloves collapse as the sap in them freezes but pick up as they thaw
Leeks are hardy and can be harvested, as needed, until March. Frost accentuates their steely blue colouring
Something as simple as a ‘Savoy’ cabbage becomes a thing of beauty when frost adds depth to the rich texture of its leaves
The Biking Gardener 
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