Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional
Should I be concerned when snow piles up on my garden beds? Robin
Answer
Your garden should be
perfectly fine with lots of snow
on it. You do need to inspect and
brush snow off of any shrubs that have
heavy snow loads to prevent breakage or damage;
otherwise, if the shrub is buried in a snow
pile, it's fine. A blanket of snow serves as an
insulator for the roots of plants which helps
minimize any root damage caused when the ground
freezes deeply. In addition to insulating the
soil, a snow cover also helps stabilize the swing
in ground temperatures and minimize soil heaving
that result from freezing and thawing cycles.
Heaving can break plants and root systems. Snow
cover also keeps moisture in the soil, because
low humidity and winter winds cause the soil to
dry out rapidly. Snow cover is also a great way
to add moisture back into your garden. Unlike
heavy rains, which can saturate the soil and runoff
on the surface, slower melting snow can let more
moisture soak back into the ground. You can actually
"water" your garden by shoveling more snow onto it;
the garden will thank you in the spring when the
snow melts. CAUTION - be very careful not to break
any shrubs with a pile of snow and never use the
snow from your walkway if you have used a salt-based
de-icer because it can harm your plants. Walkway
de-icers are always problematic. All of the various
de-icing materials available that have any type of
salt are harmful to your soil, plants, lawn and
concrete walkways, some much worse than others.
There are a few things you can do: 1) switch to a
gritty material like sand or kitty litter, 2) if
you must use salt-based de-icers now, avoid using
them after late February, just before the plants are
starting to come alive in the spring. The de-icers
can cause the most damage at that time, and 3)
flush your plants and soil with water as soon as
the ground thaws to dilute the salt. Some plants
may not make it, but that is the best you can do.
I can help you with salt-tolerant plant
replacements, if needed, in the spring.
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About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
