Monday, February 10, 2014

Scenes from a snow and ice filled weekend…

It’s been a wintery few days in Portland, starting last Thursday afternoon and finally (sort of) ending on Sunday. Friday was pretty much a city-wide holiday as everyone that could (the lucky ones) stayed home and off the streets. The park at the end of our block became a destination, pulling kids (both young and old) from far and wide. It’s hard to tell from this shot but in between the people in the foreground and those in the distance is a deep ravine, perfect for deprived city-folk to revel in the thrill of a quick slide. The screams and cheers were so loud we could hear them from inside the house.

Initially I fought the temptation to get out there and record the snowy scene in my garden, but when the sun briefly made an appearance I gave in. I'm glad I did because in the hours that followed many of these became completely buried under the white stuff.

That done, and with the rest of the afternoon ahead of me (plans for the day cancelled, due to the snow) I decided to do a little gardening, indoor gardening. After all the prisoners hadn’t gotten their mid-winter grooming and drink yet, seemed like the perfect activity for a snow day.

Heck with all the plants temporarily hiding out in the basement it’s almost like being outside in the garden…

But on to the long term incarcerated. I love discovering a bloom, this one on an aloe (A. ‘Blue Elf’ I believe).

The Agave angustifolia 'Marginata' bulbils I brought home from my brother in Arizona seem to have taken root. A soft tug and they stay in place, time for a light spritz with the water bottle.

This Echinocactus grusonii is an odd color. Too light, not that nice dark green it's supposed to be. It’s not soft though so perhaps it will be okay once it’s back outside again this spring?

Lots of new growth on the Euphorbia horrida...

And look! I’ve managed to keep a Euphorbia tirucalli alive!

This gorgeous little Kalanchoe beharensis was a gift from Ricki (Sprig to Twig), she’s a whiz at rooting cuttings.

And the newest prisoner, another K. beharensis, from my friend Bridget who’s clearing things out and needed to find a new home for some of her babies. I'll pot them up together when it's time to move 'em all out in the spring. All-in-all it was a good snow day, that is until I emerged from the basement to discover a couple more inches on the ground and more snow falling.

Saturday started of with even more snow but ended with the dramatic tinkling of ice falling from the sky. A strangely beautiful sound which I do not want to hear again anytime soon. Taking Lila out for a (unsuccessful) potty trip before bed I was dismayed to find nearly every branch that could bend was touching the ground and coated with ice. Of course the bamboo always plays the drama queen...

I awoke on Sunday morning to find the forecast, which had been calling for another 1/4" of ice, had changed...no more ice! Thank god. Now as long as what's here melts before anything breaks under the weight I will be thankful. I broke this ice leaf casting free so you could see just how thick it is.

Opuntia

The leaves on the largest Yucca rostrata seem to have moved enough in the light breeze to have kept sheets of ice from forming. Not so on the smaller ones.

Sad palm, I hope my wrapping was sufficient to keep ice from getting down inside the trunk.

Oh spring, you can't come fast enough!

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

35 comments:

  1. What beautiful photographs. And what an assortment of plants. I'm ready to move and be your next door neighbor.

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    1. What a nice thing to say! I wish you would.

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  2. I am so with you on that last! Spring can't come soon enough for me. I am optimistic enough to think that once this all melts, it will be onward and upward. That was a very enjoyable jaunt through your basement, a nice deviation from the dreary snow and ice pictures. Everything down there looks so lush and the light is very bright! Do you pay a small fortune in electric bills in the winter?

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    1. I haven't noticed our electric bills being too out of hand, the lights are all florescent tubes in metal reflecting fixtures (shop lights). Not a great light for ambiance but good for what it's needing to do. Plus I bet the white walls (courtesy of a former owner) help bounce the light around a bit, at least in photos. It is a happy place to be on a cold grey day.

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  3. Wowwww!!I've had snow in my garden too, but as I don´t live where my garden is, I left before it finished snowing, so I don't know how much snow I've had in the garden. I bet not as much as you. I hope you don´t lose too many plants. But one thing is for sure, those photos of leaves covered with ice are incredibly beautiful. It would have been better for the plants not to have the ice on them, but the view is certainly awesome.

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    1. I think everything will emerge from this go-round no worse for the wear. We'll see! Hope the same for your garden.

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  4. What a crazy cold winter it's been everywhere! Portland has Austin beat now though -- we can't claim any serious snow or ice this year (yet). I'm not complaining. The freezing nights we've had -- every few days, it seems, all winter -- have been plenty. I feel robbed of my normally pleasant winter gardening weather. That said, I have to say that agaves and palms look really pretty under snow, and your pics are lovely.

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    1. I'm really hoping this was it. I don't think I can handle another "event"...

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  5. Can something be beautiful and terrible at the same time? So it seems from your pictures. I hope this latest arctic blast is the last and that those plants encased in snow make it through the experience. I've read that snow can insulate plants from harm but I don't know if your spiky selections are adapted to tolerate snow, much less ice. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

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    1. Only a couple of agaves came into direct contact with the snow and ice. Most of them were (still are) under cover. As long as the weight of the snow and ice didn't do any damage I think they'll be okay. Of course only time will tell....

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  6. These are dramatic photos! Snow is one thing, but ice! Wow, I've never seen Yucca rostrata leaves encased in ice. I hope the white stuff will disappear quickly.

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    1. The smaller Y. rostratas, that have leaves which stick straight out, were quite the sight all iced up. Daggers of ice pointing out in all directions. It's 43 degrees outside right now so things are rapidly melting. Thank god!

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  7. I visit this blog almost every day for inspiration, and usually that's what I see. Your structural plants are beautiful year round, and in snow their forms are stunning. Even palms, which I'm not into much at all, look awesome. On the flip side, instead of inspired, your greenhouse and basement just make me jealous! Great stuff, Loree!

    Jim in North Tabor.

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    1. Thanks Jim, I am lucky to have both an unfinished basement with room, and an understanding husband who doesn't mind the basement plant population growing and shrinking with the weather forecast. He's not going to be thrilled at the prospect of hauling a couple of the big containers back outside though...

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  8. Jeff GoodEarthFebruary 10, 2014

    welcome to my world, things here have been frozen, battered, de frosted then frozen again no clue what will recover and what is toast,,,,,,,or mush

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    1. I really don't know how you do it. Those who live with this sort of thing every winter are an amazingly hardy (or crazy?) bunch.

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  9. Beautiful photos! Oh and I'm with Jim, your basement "greenhouse" is pretty impressive!

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  10. Sorry about your cold, snow, and ice but it is lovely to see in your pictures. I'm also ready for spring or at least nice warm winter weather.

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    1. So did you guys end up getting any snow? Or ice?

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  11. Oh my, didn't realise you guys had that much snow recently, I thought it was just a sprinkling. With that much cover at least there's also the insulating properties of it which ironically gives some protection as well. Those icy photos are gorgeous btw but something you could do without.

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    1. Nope, it was the real deal. Our winters certainly have been different this year haven't they?

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  12. OH MY! I'm soo sorry, Danger. That looks like the ice apocalypse. I'm just going to outright say it, I hate winter! That is horrifying. We had freezing rain last night too. Nothing that dramatic, but enough to make me curse. Thankfully it is raining and all is melted. No snow here over the weekend. But I know Portland was bad because it was on the local Vancouver news last night about the condition of Portland over the weekend. My heart broke for you when I saw that.

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    1. My mom said we made the national news with our snow/ice apocalypse, just crazy times. I'm looking out at the flowers on my manzantia which were frozen solid a couple of days ago, they don't seem to have missed a beat! How is your garden doing?

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    2. Thats glad to hear! I need to plant some manzanita this year. My garden seems to be doing alright. Some of the broad leaved evergreens have that look of having gone through a nasty cold wind. And there is some burn to the tips of the lower fronds of my chamaerops humilis. But I think everything else is alright. I hope that the tree ferns have faired okay through all this cold. That will be a true test. They all have been buried in burlap for weeks now. But I'm thinking even more rostratas, manzanita, mexican feather grass, huge agaves and arbutus will be in the near future.

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  13. Hmmm, snow, you did say that it had been falling around your way. I hope that the temperatures don't drop that you much.

    I have only ever seen frozen rain twice and only then when it fell on the roads and pavements. Seeing it on plants looks very pretty, but I can see the downsides to it.

    I hope it milds up for you soon. We have still yet to see any snow here and I have not had any air frosts since the last 2 weeks of November. The weather has been dreadful with low pressure system after low pressure system rattling across the UK. Thankfully the rain drains away very quickly here, but other parts of the UK have not done so well and there is a lot of flooding down in the south of England.

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    1. The coldest it got here was 19F before the snow fell and when the wicked wind was blowing, not as bad as last month though.You've only seen frozen rain twice? Wow, that's crazy! I've been through several ice storms and if I never saw another that would be fine with me.

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  14. You must admit that the white stuff makes for some beautiful, graphic photos. And I must admit I'm with you 100% when it comes to impatience for it all to be over.

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    1. Well, no, but you did get some terrific shots. Sorry for the dictatorial tone.

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  15. I hope everything makes it... I can totally agree with your desire for spring to hit, unfortunately with Lake Michigan mostly frozen over I think it's going to be a loooong time before we warm up

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    1. Thanks Tom. I've heard reports of a long wet and cool spring here...I hope they are wrong.

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  16. Beautiful photos Loree---too bad they aren't at someone elses house !

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  17. I had to force myself outside during our last snow, because I knew it would make for good photos, but it took a lot of willpower. Your shots are lovely, but I know what that ice can do to plants when there is too much of it. I hope everything survived intact.

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