LADYBUG SAYS...SNOW SERVES TO INSULATE PLANTS FROM FRIGID TEMPS

The snow that fell in blanketing cascades this past week may have been a curse for those who travel the roads and highways, but it was a boon for gardeners and farmers.

The snow was the first significant fall here since February 14, 1986, when there was six inches. The big, big snow was on February 25, 1979, when 24 inches feel in a single day and buried Cape Girardeau. Can anyone forget that one? This 12-inch snowfall was a total surprise as was the big one.

Many gardeners are worried about their spring-like flowers that had been peeping through the ground, and wonder if they will bloom this spring.

Soft, light and fluffy snow, such as this one, provides more benefits than harm as it forms a natural insulation that protects the plants from the cold weather that usually follows. Not only does it protect from the rapid temperature changes in the plant tissue, but it also protects from excessive drying by wind that often follows the snow.

Snow on the ground provides mulching benefits at any time of the year. Our friend, who is a master gardener, had planted his Vidalia onions and said that the heavy blanket of snow would protect them and act as insulation.

As we look out the back windows, the heavy snow has caused the boxwood and yews to spread apart. Authorities tell us that heavy snow should be shaken off, but ice, which adheres tightly to the limbs, should be allowed to melt away.

If there is winter damage to shrubs or trees, they should be repaired as soon as the snow is gone and weather permits. Remove broken branches with smooth clean cuts close to the major branch or main trunk.

On Jan. 25 pansies were planted in a bed along the carport that receives early morning sunshine and daytime protection from the cold. Here they have thrived almost a month and continue to be most rewarding. It is expected this blanket of snow will protect them from the subzero temperature which has followed.

The vegetable gardener at our house keeps a hit or miss kind of calendar of the growing season. It gives a sketchy record of the weather during the winter, spring and summer as he plans and follows his garden through the year.

We often have terrible memories about the weather and think that a few warm days in February, like those before the snow, are unusual. Not so. For example, the spring of 1976, according to his record, was warm from Feb. 6 on. It chronicles that thereafter temperatures were in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The next winter, however, was different. In 1977 it was the coldest winter on record. "There were 13 days of sub-zero weather in January," his notes read. The following winter there was snowfall after snowfall and the ground remained covered for the longest period on record--54 days.

We all know about the winter of 1979. It wasn't too good in 1980, either. No vegetable seeds were planted until March 9, and it was not until April that most seeds for small vegetables went into the ground.

The winter of 1983 was open and there were a number of days in the 50s. But on March 21 there was snow and the temperature was below freezing. The temps were in the 30s at night and mostly in the 40s and 50s in the daytime. Too cold to do very much gardening. The next two years were cold and wet in planting season.

One of the worst years was 1989. His records show that while the winter was mild, spring and summer were extremely dry. The next year was a return to warmer weather. February was mild with temperatures warm. In March we had temps in the 60s to the 80s, then cold weather well into April. Then came rain, followed by a summer drought. Fall was extremely warm.

Last year was an excellent garden year. Temperatures were in the 50s and 60s and ground was turned on Jan. 30. That brings us to 1993. Almost half the garden has been spaded and covered with black plastic. The 12 inches of snow are good mulch and at the present, things augur well for gardening to come, regardless of the one below zero reading on Wednesday night.