Sick of snow? Here’s a silver lining: It protects the garden
People who have had to shovel this winter’s heavy snow may be glad to see it melt. But from your garden plants’ perspective, it’s been a good thing.
“Winters with lots of snow are actually beneficial for plants,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Often, a snowy winter is followed by an especially lush display of perennials in spring.”
That’s partly because snow is excellent insulation. After all, snow is mostly air — up to 90% air, trapped in a matrix of ice crystals. “A good layer of snow will keep plants from being exposed to cold and wind,” Yiesla said. “Often, the temperature at soil level under the snow is actually warmer than the air temperature.”
Even more importantly, it keeps plants safe from warm spells. “Our changeable weather is especially dangerous to plants in late winter,” she said. “Temporary warm spells at this time of year can cause plants to come out of dormancy and sprout, which makes them vulnerable to damage in the next cold snap.” Plants whose roots are insulated by snow are protected from those temperature tricks.
Warm weather can melt even a deep layer of snow surprisingly quickly. But the longer the insulation lasts, the better it is for plants during the most treacherous part of the winter.
Once the snow melts and soaks into the soil, it will provide moisture to plants just when they need it to start growing in spring.
Snow does bring risks for plants. “Be prepared to see more animal damage this year,” Yiesla said.
Small burrowing animals such as voles, which won’t move in the open for fear of predators, can travel freely under the snow, tunneling through it to nibble on the bark at the base of young trees and shrubs. “A young tree can die if animals eat the bark all the way around the trunk,” she said.
Deep snow also can allow rabbits to reach higher up in your shrubs to eat tender twigs and leaf and flower buds.
“Most shrubs will recover, even if they’ve been severely damaged,” she said. “But you may lose some of the spring flower show because rabbits have eaten the buds.”
There’s not much you can do about this now, Yiesla said. The time to protect plants from winter-feeding animals is in autumn, by placing wire-mesh cages around the plant before snowy weather begins. Make a note of the plants that show animal damage from this winter so you can protect them next fall.