Wednesday, December 11, 2013

I've Had Enough Cold, Thank You Very Much

An arctic blast has been harassing Portland for more than a week now. I've heard we had the coldest temperatures since 1972.
Brrrrr - it's still cold out there! I'll be replacing a lot of Gazanzias this spring.



We've had 10 degree temps, snow, freezing fog, black ice and generally awful conditions. Several days in a row with the high and low temps below freezing.

Although plants in the garden have been covered with every bucket, pot, pail, or container I could muster for more than a week, it looks like the arctic blast has finally moved on.

There were only so many buckets of different sizes and you feel like you have to choose between your beloved children and which ones you love more than others. Some of your babies aren't gonna make it!

Rain is now in the forecast and temps just a little above freezing. We will thaw out slowly for sure.

100 gallon fish popsicles? 
I think these babies are frozen solid! Poor fish!
It still looks dismal out there. The problem with this time of year is that it is dark when I get up for work and dark when I get home, so I haven't really seen all the damage yet.

A ghostlike Grevillea x 'Neil Bell' - he seems to have survived with little damage.
Daphne bholua (Garland Daphne) looking very sad :(

Plants covered here and there - couldn't cover them all!

Callistemon pallidus (Lemon Bottlebrush) with some damage, but otherwise looking good.
Forgot to cover Acacia boormanii' (Snowy River Wattle)! D'oh!

Daphne x houtteana looking a little fried.

Telopea x 'Braidwood Seedlings' (Australian Waratah) looking unphased.
Prostanthera lasianthos (Victorian Christmas Bush) looking fried!
Pittosporum tobira 'Wheeler's Dwarf' is a gonner!
Pittosporum tobira 'Shima' also a gonner!
Callistemon viridiflorus 'Xera Compact' looking perky!

Grevillea juniperina 'Pink Lady' - very sad :(

Hopefully all the buckets can come off this weekend and all will be revealed. The good with the ugly.

It may take weeks for the real damage to appear.










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5 comments:

  1. http://whatsitgarden.blogspot.comDecember 11, 2013 at 4:31 PM

    I'm worried about the real damage appearing in a few weeks, at the moment things look all right. I didn't cover much at all. what I did cover blew off , so I gave up !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matthew - The Lents FarmerDecember 12, 2013 at 9:02 AM

      I tried to cover what I could - I hated to lose something because I was to lazy, but even some that got covered still look dead, so either way you gamble.

      Delete
  2. danger gardenDecember 11, 2013 at 10:01 PM

    Dare we hope this the worst winter has in store for us? Please update us on how things are looking a coupe of weeks from now, I'd love to know!

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    Replies
    1. Matthew - The Lents FarmerDecember 12, 2013 at 9:01 AM

      I took the buckets off this morning to see what was there - the Pittosporum tobira are both toast and Grevillea juniperina 'Pink Lady' looks pretty fried. Agave americana 'Opal' also appears to be toast. Some of them I can't tell, because I think they still need to thaw out in order to officially croak.

      Delete
  3. outlawgardenerDecember 13, 2013 at 7:32 AM

    I'm with Danger in hoping that this is the worst of the cold this winter! So sad to hear about your damage and what damage will reveal itself as the months pass.

    ReplyDelete

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