cold

I always forget that january is one of the coldest months of the year. Just a day ago I watered everything on the balcony, so I was surprised to look out this morning and see all the soil light-colored, like it had dried out. I went out and poked my finger at the dirt in the pots and containers- all frozen solid. Last night was quite windy and bitter cold. I'm concerned about all the green growth- the pots of Garlic were looking so lovely

the tender new foliage on the Mums

and the cuttings of Mint and Sage...

I did read somewhere that watering well before a freeze helps the plants, because they have a chance to absorb the moisture. So maybe some of them will be okay, the tougher and older plants like the Rosemary and Thyme. I will probably loose some of them, but it was really too early to start this kind of stuff anyways.