My mum always says that snow is a four letter curse word! I know I blurt out S-N-O-W with my fist in the air when my car has heaps of snow on it first thing in the morning! But in all seriousness, snow is a lifesaver for our plants, especially for those special specimens that are marginally hardy.
The main benefit of snow is that it acts as an insulator. Without any snow, extremely cold temperatures can freeze the bare soil and continue deeper and deeper causing damage to root systems.
Snow is also beneficial because it protects plants from the freezing and thawing cycles. Damage can occur to plants when milder temperatures warm the soil surface causing soil heaving and exposed roots. With exposed roots harsh winds can dry them out causing significant damage. This in combination with an immediate dips back to low temperatures is a recipe for disaster! Snow acts as a blanket, offering protection from these extreme weather changes while also helping to conserve moisture throughout the winter.
For those who want to take a proactive approach on winter, mulching your garden beds will offer additional protection, especially for the winters such as this one where we haven’t had much snow accumulation. For those marginally hardy plant varieties of rhododendrons or evergreens, be sure to wrap these in burlap to prevent desiccation from those harsh winter winds.
In the meantime, I hope you are all enjoying the beauty of the winter landscape from our native bright red dogwoods to the grasses still bowing up and down in the wind.
Until next time,
Andrea
Post contributed by Andrea Weddum, Landscape Designer
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