The ever abundant snow this season has brought both beauty and challenges, but did you know there are some actual benefits to a snow filled season?
While we may be tired of shoveling snow, driving on slippery roads and getting wet feet, the abundant snowfall is a blessing in disguise for lawns and gardens.
There are several key ways that snow actually helps:
There are several key ways that snow actually helps:
· Snow acts as an insulator. An adequate layer of snow actually protects less-than-hardy plants from extreme cold. Roots even continue to grow under the snow when temperatures are not too cold and earthworms and soil microbes keep at work as long as the soil doesn't freeze.
· Snow helps water the landscape during the winter. Evergreen trees require moisture during the winter, and can suffer desiccation during dry periods. Once dormant and nestled beneath a few inches or more of snow, these plants are kept safe and moist.
· Snow delivers nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil. Nitrogen is an important plant nutrient that is found abundantly in the atmosphere and is essential to plant growth.
· And last, but not least, white snow provides a great visual contrast to things like seed heads on ornamental grasses, bright berries on holly and early blooming garden plants like witch hazel stand out.
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