This year, was the earliest recorded day for 34 years for snow to fall in London and similar around the UK.
Well, these last ten years seems to have been rather mild in the latter part of the year after a little (seven to ten days) cold snap in November.
Christmas here last year (France) was a mixed bag with hard hoar frosts right up to midday on Christmas day and then turning extremely mild for the afternoon and the following week.
There are all sorts of complaints about Britain coming to a standstill when a few centimetres cover the ground. In many cases I agree that schools and businesses should be closed if there is a danger to public safety.
After all, the country is not geared up for extreme weather and it would be rather expensive to kit every council out with a fleet of snow ploughs on the off chance of a few days of blizzards.
As far as gardening is concerned; do not worry. Snow is a good insulator so plants and trees will not mind it at all underneath, although if the snow is excessive, the weight of snow build up on branches can snap them off.
Roses my need tidying up but again, do not worry too much because the spring pruning will take care of snapped stems, splits and die-back.
Be especially careful with the greenhouse roof. If several centimetres were to fall then the overall load could prove a little too heavy for any old or wobbly structures and cause collapse.
With snow falling so early in the year lawns may suffer with Fusarium Disease (sometimes called Snow Mould because of the effect a carpet of snow will have on it) and if your lawn is already being attacked, a covering of snow will incubate the fungal spores and the spread can be extremely rapid.
But before anyone gets too incensed by the inconvenience of a few millimetres or a couple of centimetres - spare a thought or two for Jodi in Novia Scotia, Canada.
Jodi, who in a blog post on her Bloomingwriter blog - Could I file a complaint, please? And to whom? - illustrates with photos while explaining that there is snowfall of fifteen to twenty five inches - exacerbated by strong winds and drifts leading to the snow being five feet deep in places.
The picture is of Piis Church just 5 minutes walk along the lane where I live.
Recent Comments