10-12 inches!


They say that it is the 4th largest snow in history in the Portland area. It started after dark last night and quickly started accumulating. I went out around 10pm and started shaking my plants that were being weighted down. We had around 4 inches by 11pm. I was reading and watching TV and about to get ready for bed when the power flickered three times and then went out for good. It was out for about 3 hours (we estimate).

 This morning we woke up to at least 10 inches (probably more) and light snow continued to fall until noon. I was terribly worried about my plants but fortunately, most are still very small. My biggest concern was the big dogwood out back that was heavily loaded down with snow (see the photo below). When I ventured out this morning, I saw that two large limbs had broken. I got most of the heavy snow off and hope that it will be okay.

 We have dry weather predicted for the next several days. It is going to get cold again at night, in the 20s, but at least the tender plants are under a thick blanket of protection.

 
The dogwood tree





 
The  big apple tree. I did a lot of pruning on it last year.





 
Looking down our street from the entrance to our driveway


The Colorada Blue Spruce (Picea pungens 'Globosa') was completely buried. It is about 2 feet tall.







Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

Lisa at Greenbow said…
Isn't this crazy?? Well you can make a picture for your Christmas cards next year. The best part about all this is that your young plants are covered and safe from the worst of the cold. It is an amazing amount of snow. I bet you don't even have a snow shovel. Be safe and warm.
January 11, 2017 at 1:46 PM
http://whatsitgarden.blogspot.com said…
I wish I'd known and gone out last night to shake the snow off ! This morning I couldn't see or remember what was under the snow . I keep running out to swipe more off buried shrubs ;(
January 11, 2017 at 4:06 PM
Jane Strong said…
Hard to believe that this area is near Portland, Oregon, not Portland, Maine. The red house is brilliant, shows color while everything else is white. Excellent photos as usual, especially like the dogwood and apple shots.
January 11, 2017 at 5:32 PM
Shoalanda said…
How are you doing driving on this lovely fluff?
January 11, 2017 at 9:00 PM
Sallysmom said…
Does your town shut down like we do down here in the south when it snows?
January 12, 2017 at 5:22 AM
Phillip Oliver said…
Yes, all the schools close and most residents do not know how to drive in it. I am surprised though at just how much traffic is on the roads while watching it all on the tv news. I guess a lot of people just have to go out (although a lot of people just got caught in it).
January 12, 2017 at 7:09 AM
Phillip Oliver said…
I did okay driving on the previous snows but they were not this severe. I was scheduled to work today but I called in. I am not going to attempt it. They are really good here about keeping the major roads clear. It is the side roads you have to be careful on.
January 12, 2017 at 7:12 AM
danger garden said…
Isn't this just crazy? I can't say I'm a fan...but you've probably already figured that out. Hope you're enjoying your forced day off.
January 12, 2017 at 9:45 AM
outlawgardener said…
Snow is so beautiful on Christmas cards and from a distance. (like from here where we have none.) Hope you stay safe and sound.
January 13, 2017 at 7:10 AM
Swimray said…
... But it's so beautiful. No major storms yet here in Virginia.
Ray
January 13, 2017 at 5:38 PM
Aaron said…
Beautiful!

I do hope you can hibernate indoors until it melts.

(I must say I'm surprised the dogwood took the snow so hard. Is it a C. florida? BONAP shows them as being native up into Michigan and New Hampshire, so I would have thought they'd take snow like champ. Maybe yours got soft living in Oregon?) ;)

Hope all your other plants are safe and comfortable under their insulating white blanket!
January 13, 2017 at 6:36 PM
Hoover Boo said…
Your winter is as wacky as ours has been! Better photo ops for you, though. The wet sidewalks here are kind of boring.
January 14, 2017 at 7:02 AM
Rainy Day Gardener said…
It's like day 5 right?? I'm over this snow. It's suppose to snow and then melt here in the PNW. So melt already! :)
January 15, 2017 at 9:10 PM
RobinL said…
You have to admit that it's lovely! But wow, way too much for the area, am I right? You probably never saw that much snow in Alabama, so you've already learned that a nice blanket of snow can actually be good for your plants, protecting them from the bitter cold.
January 17, 2017 at 5:08 PM
Phillip Oliver said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
January 21, 2017 at 8:33 AM
Phillip Oliver said…
Aaron, it is c florida. It is the largest tree on our property. There were three broken limbs. Not bad, I suppose. It was just a lot of snow!
January 21, 2017 at 8:35 AM
Phillip Oliver said…
Robin, we would occassionally get a snow like this in Alabama but it would be gone the next day. It certainly never hung around for a week!
January 21, 2017 at 8:35 AM
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