In the Cold Wet Snow

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Today school was out, the roads were iced over, and the garden was draped in white. I always enjoy the one or two times each winter when our landscape is covered in snow. That’s the great thing about living in Tennessee – or one of the great things – the mild winters! It will snow a couple times each year with usually no more than 1-4 inches. When it does snow 12-24 inches it doesn’t last long and you’re left wondering “did that really happen?” And around here we measure the snow in inches – not in feet! It’s this type of situation that allows us to enjoy Old Man Winter when he comes to visit.

So here’s what winter really looks like in Tennessee (although technically it isn’t winter yet!)

We wake up to temperatures beyond cold, way beyond cold. My wireless weather station does a nice job of letting me know how cold our frost pocket really is. It’s amazing how different our yard can be than what they say it is in our area on the news. These weather stations have really advanced a lot since we got ours (La Crosse Technology WS-1516-IT Professional Weather Center @ Amazon).

When you actually get all dressed up in your winter weather gear here’s what you see in the garden:

A Hemlock along the sideyard garden.

A red twig dogwood looks fantastic in the snow. In the early spring or late winter I’ll trim back most of the stems and allow new growth to sprout up with its characteristic red bark color. Of course I’ll make sure to propagate more than a few red twig dogwoods!

The paving stone patio looks very cool covered in snow.

Pink Muhly grass is poking it’s leaves through the snow.

 Ponytail grass (Nassella tenuissima) has its own interesting winter look.

The Powis Castle artemisia looks a little stressed out this time of year – it is the holidays afterall.

The vegetable garden is also covered with a layer of white snow. It looks so peaceful and organized right now!

Even though the temperatures inside my shed are staying 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside it is still dipping into the 20’s. I don’t have any heating system in there yet – one day maybe. For now it is protecting hardy plants that are in pots for next spring. 

Are you walking in a Winter Wonderland yet?

8 thoughts on “In the Cold Wet Snow”

  3. No snow here in the Upstate area of South Carolina…though another hours north it is a different story. I did see some ice on the lake this morning, as I was outside, walking a 16 year old dog around the yard in my bathrobe….brrrrrrrr

  4. It was 9* this AM and it hasn't change in the three hours I've been up! Well it does look like we might get more, too! Hoping you are keeping warmer then the shed! gail

  5. No snow here but it's very cold. I've already lost some plants from last night. I fear there will be more after tonight as it's supposed to drop down in the teens.
    Your garden looks cold but it's pretty even for this time of the yr.

  6. Dave, you are really in a frost pocket. Many people in the north want to move where you are for the milder weather. What has been happening with our weather? It seems to be unusual worldwide.

    Eileen

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