Oh snow, where were you in London on Christmas day? Why are you here now, hampering our efforts to burn off mince pies through brisk gardening?
Oh snow, where were you in London on Christmas day? Why are you here now, hampering our efforts to burn off mince pies through brisk gardening? There's nothing I can do in my garden, except ponder when the compost heap will start breaking down again.
But look how many plants are named after snow! Snow-themed cultivars include Alyssum 'Snowdrift'; Incarvillea delavayi 'Snowtop' and Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snowcap', though ironically, they all bloom in the summer. We've all heard of the snowdrop and snowberry, but what about the Mexican snowball, Echeveria elegans? It needs a sunny spot in well-drained soil and should be kept dry in winter. And it doesn't like very low temperatures. Hmm ... does anyone have one that's still alive?
I now realise how lucky I am not to have any plants yet in my garden. While a thick layer of snow can insulate plants from extremely low temperatures, its weight can cause branches to break. Then frozen ground prevents roots from taking up water, and plants can die from lack of moisture.
If you're worried about branches breaking or becoming disfigured on your shrubs and trees, shake excess snow from them. You can support branches too - you're probably not using your washing line prop this week, so place it under a laden branch (you may need to wrap it first to prevent it rubbing against bark). It's worth knocking snow off roofs, greenhouses and cold frames too. This lets light in and prevents any unnecessary breakages.
If temperatures are freezing, lift terracotta pots off the ground to prevent waterlogging and cracking, or wrap them in bubblewrap. But it's best to leave snow on the ground - it will be keeping the soil warm and will give emerging plants a good drink when it melts.
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