Receding Snow

I have been recently considering how the snow cover affects our lawn, perennials and gardens.  Sometimes the tough winters for us are those that are cold and have lots of snow.  But do the greater depths of snow really equate to a "hard" winter? 


In my core course for Master Gardening last year, I read some factual information as to what I had already observed.  A deep cover of snow acts as a significant insulation for the ground and plants.  I am in the process of looking for a factual representation of this.  Common thought on this is that ten inches of new "fluffy" snow equals roughly six inches of fiberglass insulation.  A food of snow can allow the ground to retain 32-degree temperatures.

No wonder my strawberry plants look good!

In my observations, I have seen how green the grass is when it emerges from the snow cover.  But where we make paths through the yard, and therefore the insulation is less, the grass is less green.

The above is a picture of our backyard, showing the footpath we keep clear for walking to the bus, skating, and church.  You can clearly see the brown that was the main path.  For most of the winter, it was covered with a couple of inches of packed snow and ice.

Spring has sprung!  Now, if it would just hurry up to planting time!