The flip side of brilliant sunshine in February is sub-zero temperatures at night. Brilliant crispness, which helps to make the blossoms last a little longer. If we had sugar maples, this would be prime "sugaring off" weather. (In fact, I heard someone from up-island being interviewed on the radio the other day about a growing maple syrup industry here. According to this guy, because the maples they use are not sugar maples, they have to concentrate the sap more to get syrup, and therefore the result is more flavourful than the traditional maple syrup from "back east". I can already hear the "harumphs" from Vermonters of whom I am fond!)Anyway, starting tomorrow it is supposed to cloud over, get milder, and rain, so I dashed out this morning to document the frosty jardin.
And one last view, which also demonstrates how far I have to go on pruning the ceanothus:
