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 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 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.
We're not quite there yet – thanks for the preview. Beautiful photos.
The first snow of the season is always pretty. When we get our 5th or 6th snow storm, it gets tiring. 😉 It does look nice in the garden!
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
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
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.
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
Great winter photos – very inspiring at this time of the year.. I also love the photos of your veggie garden – so nice to still see the 'bones' in winter. We're still waiting for the snow, with unseasonal temp's way above freezing.. yet, on the plus side, we're eating over 20 types of veggies from the frames and tunnels! 🙂
Niki
http://yearroundveggiegardener.blogspot.com
Hi Dave,I like your all winter photos. I think its a great scene to watch snow and play with it but i never saw it.