... we don't cut back our ferns until mid-March!
In the more than twenty years we have lived on the North Oregon Coast, we have never seen snow like we did when we woke the morning of February 23, 2023. This is more like what I remember from living in Pennsylvania for most of my life. Certainly not in Rockaway. Measured 8 inches in the front garden at 10:00 AM.
And here we are: we don't even own a snow shovel! But why would we? This much snow is rare, very rare. Thank goodness.
I was so glad I hadn't jumped the gun and pruned back my roses, hardy fuchsias and ferns yet. This kind of a blanket of snow will protect most of the plants from the freezes that tend to follow this kind of weather event.
One thing I did do was take a broom and push most of the snow off the shrubs and Japanese maples. It was too heavy and weighed down the branches. I could almost hear the shrubs heave a sigh of relief when the snow came tumbling off.
But it is also important to know our personal physical limitations and not stress our bodies trying to shovel snow. A few minutes outside in this kind of cold weather can be very dangerous even to those in the best of health.
Bottom line: enjoy this kind of snow from inside. But do take lots of photos to send with your Christmas cards in December. Friends will think you were in the Rockies!
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