Snow has finally arrived in the UK this week with several areas including parts of Scotland and North Yorkshire already seeing several flurries of flakes settling. And more is on the way today, the Met Office says, with several weather warnings for ice and snow being issued in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
But those who wake up to find snow in their gardens are being warned not to clear it from their lawn, flowerbeds or raised beds for a very important reason.
It migh sound counterintuitive, but you should actually leave the snow that’s settled on your garden instead of shovelling it away. It might seem like layers of snow and ice on your carefully managed green space is going to be damaging, but actually, snow has some useful benefits for your garden over the winter.
Snow acts as an insulator, keeping the soil and grass warm underneath when conditions are at their coldest.
Not only that, but it’s also full of nutrients which enrich the soil just the same as rainwater, except it’s frozen and will slowly feed the garden once it thaws out.
Gardening experts Planfor.co.uk said: “Because it contains a lot of air, snow is an excellent insulating material. It plays a protective role against the cold as soon as it reaches 5cm in thickness and is not too wet (powder snow). If snow falls on the ground before a period of harsh frost (temperature below -5°C), the soil will not get cold as quickly and not as intensely. Therefore, do not remove snow from a fragile plant if a spell of colder weather is forecast!
“Snow has the particularity of enriching the soil with azote as it drags, in its fall, azote compounds. They do not replace fertiliser but stimulate soil’s life. Hence the saying (a little exaggerated!) ‘snow in February is as good as manure’.
“Snow, in any case stimulates the microbial life of soil. In melting slowly, it allows the soil to get well soaked.”
The only thing gardeners should worry about is the weight on tree branches. Too much snow on trees can cause branches to snap and fall, potentially landing on greenhouses, sheds, cars or even people, so it may be best to clear snow off any trees which you want to keep safe.
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