Around 10:30 Saturday night I read a weather warning that we'd be receiving snow, and possibly freezing rain, on Sunday. By the time my eyes opened and looked out the window the next morning this was already happening – no time to cover anything – the garden would be left to deal with the cold stuff on it's own terms...
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Here Andrew is carrying Lila up to the park so she can "take care of business" under a line of trees, where there would hopefully still be a little bare grass showing (a necessity for potty time). She's got an injured leg so walking is a little difficult for her her right now, even in normal conditions.
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Like Andrew's yellow jacket (above), a little color is extra vibrant when so much is reduced to white.
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This little guy was cussing me out as I took photos, as though the snow was my idea!
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Spikes look extra sharp emerging from the snow...
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Those photos were from Sunday afternoon, by the time I went out at 10:30 pm with Lila (potty run) things were starting to ice up and it was getting ugly. This is the part of the forecast I was praying they’d get wrong. A little dry fluffy snow isn’t going to hurt anything – but once the ice shows up you know it’s not going to end well. I resisted going out to knock ice off bent over plants until it hit 32F Monday afternoon, once I could see some melting I figured as long as I was careful I would do more good than bad. Bamboo is always such the drama queen in weather like this, usually it's blocking the view of the neighbors house and fence, now it's bent in half…
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This is the most snow and ice my in-ground Agaves have had to deal with. Usually weather like this is predicted far enough in advance I have a chance to cover them...not this time. Frigid temperatures along with snow and ice coming right on the heels of record setting rain (over 15” during the month of December), well, it’s going to be a true test of these guys – many of which made it through the ugly winter of 2013/14 with protection.
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When I wrote about our last cold-spell over Thanksgiving I mentioned my experimenting by leaving a few Zone 9 plants in the ground, like multiple Echium wildpretii, since it was predicted to be a warmer than average El Nino winter. Not looking like such a good idea now…
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I hate it when the Opuntia start to lean, sometimes they snap before they go upright again.
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Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque' splayed out in every which way…
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This Grevillea victoriae 'Murray Queen' was one of the worst hit, I haven’t seen those banana leaves for months, who knew they were still back there? I'm going to have to do some major staking to get this baby upright again.
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Whereas the Magnolia laevifolia pretty much stood up right as soon as I knocked the ice off.
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More suffering spikes...
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Are you're wondering "is this post ever going to end?" Yes it well, eventually. I fell into documenting mode and found myself trying to capture everything.
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Even a bit of beauty in the ugliness of it all...
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Palm frond cast in ice and fallen to the ground.
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Sophora prostrata 'Little Baby' is easier to see when outlined in ice.
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Damn, this is one I would have definitely liked to have been able to cover, Grevillea x gaudichaudii.
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Acacia dealbata, not happy – it's usually an upright tree. Evidently those tiny little leaves can hold a lot of ice. More staking to be done here, assuming it's still alive.
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Another shot of the leaning Acacia, joined by a couple of Daphniphyllum doing their sad leaf thing.
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And more drama queen bamboo.
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Joined by a Schefflera taiwaniana.
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One of those Zone 9 experiments...
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And another (Leucadendron 'Silvan Red')...
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And another (Grevillea 'Superb')...
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The witch hazel started blooming back in mid December (early), and the leaves still remain.
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Crazy textural close up...
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Finally, here's one Agave that looks the same whether it's 98F and sunny or 28F and icy. Future reports will be filed as evidence of life, or death, reveals itself.
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All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Here Andrew is carrying Lila up to the park so she can "take care of business" under a line of trees, where there would hopefully still be a little bare grass showing (a necessity for potty time). She's got an injured leg so walking is a little difficult for her her right now, even in normal conditions.
Like Andrew's yellow jacket (above), a little color is extra vibrant when so much is reduced to white.
This little guy was cussing me out as I took photos, as though the snow was my idea!
Spikes look extra sharp emerging from the snow...
Those photos were from Sunday afternoon, by the time I went out at 10:30 pm with Lila (potty run) things were starting to ice up and it was getting ugly. This is the part of the forecast I was praying they’d get wrong. A little dry fluffy snow isn’t going to hurt anything – but once the ice shows up you know it’s not going to end well. I resisted going out to knock ice off bent over plants until it hit 32F Monday afternoon, once I could see some melting I figured as long as I was careful I would do more good than bad. Bamboo is always such the drama queen in weather like this, usually it's blocking the view of the neighbors house and fence, now it's bent in half…
This is the most snow and ice my in-ground Agaves have had to deal with. Usually weather like this is predicted far enough in advance I have a chance to cover them...not this time. Frigid temperatures along with snow and ice coming right on the heels of record setting rain (over 15” during the month of December), well, it’s going to be a true test of these guys – many of which made it through the ugly winter of 2013/14 with protection.
When I wrote about our last cold-spell over Thanksgiving I mentioned my experimenting by leaving a few Zone 9 plants in the ground, like multiple Echium wildpretii, since it was predicted to be a warmer than average El Nino winter. Not looking like such a good idea now…
I hate it when the Opuntia start to lean, sometimes they snap before they go upright again.
Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque' splayed out in every which way…
This Grevillea victoriae 'Murray Queen' was one of the worst hit, I haven’t seen those banana leaves for months, who knew they were still back there? I'm going to have to do some major staking to get this baby upright again.
Whereas the Magnolia laevifolia pretty much stood up right as soon as I knocked the ice off.
More suffering spikes...
Are you're wondering "is this post ever going to end?" Yes it well, eventually. I fell into documenting mode and found myself trying to capture everything.
Even a bit of beauty in the ugliness of it all...
Palm frond cast in ice and fallen to the ground.
Sophora prostrata 'Little Baby' is easier to see when outlined in ice.
Damn, this is one I would have definitely liked to have been able to cover, Grevillea x gaudichaudii.
Acacia dealbata, not happy – it's usually an upright tree. Evidently those tiny little leaves can hold a lot of ice. More staking to be done here, assuming it's still alive.
Another shot of the leaning Acacia, joined by a couple of Daphniphyllum doing their sad leaf thing.
And more drama queen bamboo.
Joined by a Schefflera taiwaniana.
One of those Zone 9 experiments...
And another (Leucadendron 'Silvan Red')...
And another (Grevillea 'Superb')...
The witch hazel started blooming back in mid December (early), and the leaves still remain.
Crazy textural close up...
Finally, here's one Agave that looks the same whether it's 98F and sunny or 28F and icy. Future reports will be filed as evidence of life, or death, reveals itself.
All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.