Snow Cover Bad News for Travelers but Good News for Gardeners

WARMINSTER, Pa., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Near record snowfalls here and in much of the United States might not be good for highway safety, but according to one of the nation's leading horticultural experts, it is the perfect winter fertilizer for home gardening.

George Ball, chairman of W. Atlee Burpee & Co., the nation's leading seed provider, located here in Bucks county, says that, "all of this snow is a fabulous thing for home gardening, and gardeners should expect nothing less than a banner year in 2008 because of it - higher vegetable yields, vigorous ornamental grass and flower growth and extended bloom periods for flowering shrubs and perennials."

Mr. Ball, who is also past president of The American Horticultural Society, says heavy snowfall acts as a geothermal blanket for the garden and landscape plants.

"Call it the 'igloo effect,'" says Ball. "Only when wrapped in a heavy blanket of snow and, even better, topped off with a thin duvet cover of ice, do your precious perennial plants and low lying shrubs sleep the beauty sleep- well protected from the forces of Old Man Winter."

The desiccating winds of winter, in combination with sub-freezing temperatures, Ball explains, are what is actually lethal to garden plants, as well as many herbaceous woodland plants.

While its no fun to travel during periods of inclement winter weather, Ball says, "gardeners should rest assured that snow in the garden is actually a very good thing."

Mr. Ball amplifies his views on the benefits of snow in the garden on his periodic blog that appears on http://heronswoodvoice.com/.

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Source: W. Atlee Burpee & Co.

CONTACT: Kristin Grilli, +1-724-263-0363, kgrilli@burpee.com, for W.
Atlee Burpee & Co.

Web site: http://www.burpee.com/

2008-02-27 18:05:41 0300125 PRNEWSWIRE