Snow can be a royal pain. It shuts down businesses, causes accidents on the highways and there was a time – when children were actually going to school – that school would be cancelled.
But there is one place snow is good, and that’s on a garden
Snow acts like a protective blanket against extreme temperatures. Roots of many perennials, as well as bulbs, ground cover plants and strawberries are protected from the freeze-thaw cycle that can heave tender roots right out of the ground.
Without snow, cold temperatures can freeze the ground deeply, which damages the root systems of shrubs and trees. Snow cover also protects plants from harsh, drying winter winds.
Snow also adds nitrogen to soil as the snowflakes gather nitrogen from the atmosphere and deposit it on your lawn and garden.
And while rain often over-waters the ground and results in runoff, the slow escape of water into the soil from a snow melt is highly beneficial.
Like most everyone, I eagerly await spring, but still, I and my garden are thankful for the recent snows.