Do you love snow? I do. I love to ski, snowshoe, and throw snowballs. However when it come to snow and the garden, maybe it’s more of a love-hate relationship. I love how the snow outlines the branches and trunks of deciduous trees and hangs like powered sugar on the evergreens.
However, ice is another matter altogether. Many people of Portland, Oregon are cursing the snow and ice this week, as they slip and slide on the way to work. I can still see icy chunks of snow melting, ever so slowly. As beautiful as it is, will it harm my plants? As I walked along the garden paths, I was amazed at how many of my large shrubs and small trees were bent almost double under the weight of an inch of ice. Gingerly tiptoeing along, listening to the sounds of cracking ice, I planned my route, trying not to get a flush of cold snow down my back or hit by falling icicles. The large-leaved evergreen trees always seem to get the worst of it. Thick, heavy coating of ice on large leaves can cause branches to snap off, severely damaging the plant. I am relieved to see that the Madronas(Arbutus menziesii ) , the Magnolia (Magnolia Grandiflora)and assorted Camellias (Camellia Japonicasp.) and Rhododendrons (Rhododendronsp.) have all bounced back to their normal shapes with no breakage.

I love how the palm in this photograph (Trachycarpus fortunei) takes on a new shape and structure with the weight of the snow and ice.

The garden is always magical with a dusting of snow! Loved this. We didn't get that snowfall, so it was fun to see what your garden looked like.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb! Yeah, the snow was great. The ice not so fun but I have had no damage whatsoever on any of the plants. In fact, I have snowdrops and daffodils starting to pop out of the ground!
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