WARMINSTER, Pa. -- While multiple winter storms continue to cause widespread disruption across the nation, garden experts at Burpee, one of America's oldest seed and plant companies, predict a silver lining. George Ball, Burpee's chairman, suggests that by providing much needed moisture for springtime plantings, and insulating perennial plants that are dormant in winter, the record snowfall will be a blessing in disguise for home gardeners.
Winter storm Titan, the 20th of the 2013-14 North American winter storm season, affected millions of people across the country earlier this week, with the heaviest snowfall in central Penn. The cold weather has not been confined to the northeast however: winter storms have reached deep into the south and Midwest to deliver significant snowfall in areas that do not normally experience it.
"A few feet of snow provide an 'igloo effect' that insulates plants and shields vulnerable root systems from potentially destructive temperature fluctuations," noted Ball.
According to Ball, a past president of the American Horticultural Society, in Washington, D.C., the deep snow cover actually helps warm hibernating plants, providing a "security blanket" that protects root crowns, and in some species, the upper root system.
"Under a heavy snow covering, the soil can be 25 degrees warmer than the air temperature," Ball pointed out. "The thick snow covering creates a finely calibrated "drip system" that keeps plant roots underground optimally watered even in frigid conditions."
Ball advised that when the warmer weather arrives, the resulting snow melt will help keep water tables well-supplied for upcoming plantings for the 2014 home gardening season.
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