Friday, February 24, 2023

Winter, again

Our winter storm forecasts here in Portland are not easy. We have multiple influencing factors that come into play—the Columbia River Gorge and the cold of Canada and Eastern WA/OR that funnels thru it, the mountain and valley topography, the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, etc—and any one of them can throw a forecast. Still we, I, hope for some sort of known. I study ugly forecasts and triangulate. Leading up to this current winter nightmare, the weather forecasters were quite honest about the fact they had no idea exactly what was going to happen at any location. A dusting to 3, or maybe 5, inches of snow was the oft quoted idea. 

In the Portland metro area the snow started to fall (and more importantly stick) around noon on Wednesday the 21st, it kept on falling ALL DAY. The total here at my place in NE Portland was somewhere over 11". The official recording location for Portland called it at 10.8" which is the second largest one day snowfall in our history, the first dates back to 1943. As I write this on Thursday evening the temperature is at 26 F and falling, tonight's low is predicted to be 18, I hope not any lower. The snow is going to be here for awhile...

I took this picture at around 11am on Wednesday. Precipitation was falling, but still mainly as rain. I was happy to see the first orange blooms start to open on the Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’ but worried what the coming cold was going to do to them.

Just around 12:30 in the afternoon I snapped this shot out the front door to encourage Andrew to consider leaving work early. Once snow starts sticking on the roadways Portland's commute becomes a crawl.

By 4pm things were starting to get serious. People who weren't already on the road—or better yet at home, like Andrew thankfully was—were facing a snarled lengthy drive, or worse. Wet, heavy, snow was coating everything and plants were beginning to bend.

I took this photo at 1pm...

By 4pm it looked very different.

Just before 5pm...

And on Thursday (the morning after) at 11am...that's a lot of snow. 

Back garden photos, taken between 4 and 5pm Wednesday. Black mondo grass under a callistemon...

Fascicularia pitcairnifolia that I neglected to pull and tuck in somewhere warmer.

Standing next to the shade pavilion greenhouse and looking NE across the back garden.

Out in the front garden now, same timeframe.

Agave 'Baccarat'

The branches and flowers of Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold'.



Agave ovatifolia

Yucca rostrata

The pair...

Austin's branches (Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths' that is).

And looking into the over-planted middle section of the front garden.

Opuntia spikes! The snow covered version.

This next batch of photos is from around 9pm when I went out (once again) to clean the snow off the split bamboo poly tunnels, so they didn't collapse under the weight of the snow. Here's the view stepping out the back door. That's bamboo bent over in front of the garage.

I started this post with an image of an orange Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’ bloom just opening. Here's that same shrub laying on the ground, bent under the weight of the snow.

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) was also bent, the whole plant looking ready to snap.

Here's the fence line at the north end of the patio, I added a bit of orange to help you see the snow built up on top of the fence.

The same NE view that I shared a few photos up, about 4 hours later.

Snow on the wire trellis.

Cleaning the snow off the four split-bamboo poly tunnels is why I was out here, that's one of the tunnels below. The palm fronds are blurry because the wind was blowing.

The sidewalk to the front door.

Arctostaphylos bent over Dasylirion wheeleri, my last shot before going inside for the night.

Blue sky! What a difference a day makes. It's now Thursday morning and the snow has stopped falling but the temperatures are cold. Another day where we will not get above freezing.

There's still a little orange visible on the Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’. I very carefully knocked the snow off of the plant so it wasn't laying flat on the ground.

This tunnel is usually standing tall, at least 3 feet tall. Now it's almost level with the surrounding ground—not because it flattened, but becasue the "ground" has risen.

I had a hard time figuring out what this snow-covered foliage was at first, ah! Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace', which is usually about 8 ft tall. Instead it was at knee height.

After very carefully brushing the snow off some of the plants bent to almost breaking, it was time to head back inside and warm up. I looked down and realized why my feet were so cold. I guess a foot of snow calls for taller boots.

Inside we're enjoying the color of hellebore blooms I had the good sense to cut before the snow.

Temperatures remain cold thru the weekend. Who knows when I will see my garden plants again and what kind of horrors this latest round of winter will inflict upon them.

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24 comments:

  1. When this latest winter event was mentioned on tv, 11" of snow were predicted to fall in the Portland area. I heard it and my heart sank thinking of you and your garden and what you already had to endure this year! With temps not rising about freezing for multiple days, maybe the snow will provide some protection? My heart goes out to you, my fingers crossed for a quick thaw. Soon.
    Chavli

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    1. No quick thaw but instead the possibility of more snow, this is brutal!

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  2. Cor! Blimey!

    That is a lot of snow in one fall!

    I hope that your plants are all okay.

    I have been putting down mulch and bark chips over the last couple of days. It gives me a chance to have a good look around my garden as well and things in the ground don't look too bad.

    Plants in pots haven't done too well though. I think that it must have been the freeze plus lots of rain, but my big Agave ovatifolia and two Agave parryi are both dead. It is partially my own fault because I should have put them down the side of the house, under the shelter...

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    1. Blimey! I think that's going to be my new response when I look out the window and see snow. So sorry about your agaves.

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  3. I went online last night to see what was happening and was shocked to see your amount of snow and the dates of the biggest snowfalls. We were lucky that most of the snow went north of us. But we've had a lot of cold without snow cover. It seems impossible to know how or what to plant, how to protect plants anymore. And if the snow is wet and heavy it's even worse. Hope the results are not unbearable.

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    1. You're right about the impossibility of knowing what to plant!

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  4. Timing of snowfall was a little different here at the coast. No snow Wed but it came overnight and we woke to a snowy landscape Thursday, and it continued to snow into Thursday afternoon. Temps stayed at 20 all day yesterday. Today is blue and clear but cold, looking like your Thursday photo! Saving grace was no power outages like in December. I have no idea what to expect from my little garden with all its baby plants once the snow melts...Beaches are covered in snow up to the water line!

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    1. I saw a few photos of the snowy beaches on Facebook, such a bizarre sight! Fingers crossed for your garden.

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  5. Uggg....Loree....ready for warmer climes? The Husband was looking at real estate in Brookings yesterday.

    I'm so sorry. May the losses be few for all of us. I'm trying to do what Paul Bonine suggests - only taking heavy snow off of plants that are in danger of breaking, otherwise leave it for protection. We got to 15 degrees last night. You have the east winds on top of all of that. Weather record after record after record. As Linda says, it does seem impossible to know what to plant any more. Still, I hold out hope for your garden and mine.

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    1. Andrew and I have been talking about a trip to Brookings to have a look-see around. I don't know if I could live anywhere to remote though. We shall see what spring brings!

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  6. Like you I’m waiting for the thaw showing the carnage. My potted plans, either up against the back slider with fleece over them, or in the detached garage, are ailing. Leucadendron “Red Gem” looked desiccated on its lower leaves, and my dicksonia Antarctica, despite being covered, may be a goner. It’s been one shock after another this winter. Still we learn from it and try new things. Hope you don’t lose too much, Loree.
    Jim N Tabor

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    1. It has been one shock after another! I am impressed to learn you've been growing leucadendron, I have had very little success with them. Fingers crossed for your tree fern! (mine is currently in the basement)

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  7. Photos are beautiful, but I hope your plants will not suffer much damage. To an extent, snow insulates--but only to an extent.

    The hellebore bowl is a relief after all that white!

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    1. I find it tends to be those who don't have to deal with the snow who say it's beautiful. I suppose it's much like me looking at your photos and yearning for dry sunny day after dry sunny day...

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  8. I worry about your plants, too, and hope your losses aren't overwhelming.

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  9. Your garden would be unrecognizable without your descriptions, Loree. I'm sorry you got another winter wallop - and that it looks to be worse than the hard slaps you've already received this season. The fact that this storm has reached down into SoCal with unusual power, bringing what a UCLA climate scientist says could be "historically significant snowfall" even here, is a testimonial to its strength. My fingers are crossed that your snow lightens up - literally.

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    1. They're saying there may be more snow on the way, I just don't even know what to think anymore!

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  10. You guys have really been through it, haven't you? That would be a lot of snow for us in Madison. While locales north of us had record snowfall this past week, we had a "wintry mix" of ice, snow, and slush. It's a little different, though, because our climate and plants are used to it, and yours aren't. So sorry you had to go through this, and I hope most of your plants will recover. Beautiful Hellebores.

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    1. Yes we have, such an unusual winter here, I am ready for it to end!

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  11. These are spectacular photos, but I know what lurks under the surface, so to speak. I've been whining about our weather, but when I see this, I realize I need to shut up. Fingers crossed the damage will be limited.

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  12. The blanket of snow is incredible. We're getting soaked in the east bay, CA. I noticed yesterday that 2 of my golden barrels are rotted. I'm going to try covering the rest so I don't lose anymore (fingers crossed).

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  13. your photos are gorgeous in a ghostly, surreal fashion, but also remind me of our own experience in the Texas snowstorm...hence I know how hard it is to have to wait to see what survived, and not to be able to do anything RIGHT NOW...i hope you find many happy surprises once the worst is over, and can even enjoy the chance to "reset"....fingers crossed!!!

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