(Photo: Green Right Now)
From Green Right Now Reports
If you’re pining to see some buds on trees, new leaves on bushes, or fresh signs of life in the flower bed…chill.
Yes, it has been a miserable winter through much of the United States, and most of us are ready to move on to spring. Unfortunately, such a premature bloom could be the worst thing to happen to your lawn and garden.
“Early blooming forsythia bushes, magnolia trees, daffodils and tulips may look pretty, but when cold weather inevitably returns, they may be damaged,” says botanist Karen Snetselaar, Ph.D and chair of the Biology Department at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s University.
Snetselaar also suggests embracing that white blanket many of us have been seeing on an all-too frequent basis. Instead of damaging plant life, she said, snow serves to protect it from even more damaging conditions.
“Snow cover is actually beneficial for many plants, especially perennial herbs and shrubs, because it provides insulation from freezing temperatures,” she said. “Plants under snow will be exposed to fewer drastic temperature changes, which is often more damaging than continued cold.”
Snow offers other benefits, she added, including keeping moisture around plants and reducing the effects of cold, dry winds.
Ross Penhallegon, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, suggests treating snow as a form of mulch.
“If you shovel snow off driveways and walkways, take a little extra time to pile it around landscape plants under eaves that may have escaped coverage by snowfall,” he said.
The weight of snow can damage trees. (Photo: Green Right Now)
Trees, however, often require real and immediate assistance to deal with heavy snows. Branches overburdened with the weight can crack or break off entirely.
Snetselaar suggests brushing the snow off as much as possible, pushing branches up rather than down to avoid breaking.
Meanwhile, as you shiver through the rest of a cold, wet season, try not to worry so much. The snow that has blanked much of the nation this season could give way to a spectacular spring and summer – current appearances to the contrary.