Hyacinths, daffodils and fruit trees in their fullest glory: last week, spring made them all bloom.
Can the snow be a danger to them now?
An expert explains.
Aidling - Many hobby gardeners itched their fingers with the spring-like temperatures: Since then, juicy lettuce plants have been decorating their beds again.
Light blue hydrangeas cover the terraces.
The many hours of sunshine did not leave the fruit trees and flowers in the garden unimpressed.
Cherries and apricots were in full bloom.
Hyacinths and daffodils sprouted.
Many plant lovers may have reacted with horror to the onset of winter.
Can the snow be dangerous for the garden?
The snow is not a reason to panic, says Magdalena Kühn, second chairwoman of the Upper Bavarian District Association for Garden Culture and Land Care.
Especially when he only stays there for so short a time.
Spring bloomers like daffodils are even happy about the coolness, because they often let premature warmth drive out much too quickly, says Kühn.
“If they don't bend over immediately through masses of snow, they will even last much longer,” says the gardening expert.
Snow in April not only isolates and preserves the plants, it also supplies the soil with valuable water reserves.
Cold protection for flowers and fruit trees
In her home garden in Aidling (Garmisch-Partenkirchen district), Kühn usually can't help but tackle it again as soon as the first rays of sunshine in March.
“There is snow on my lettuce plants every year,” she says.
It never hurt them.
You just have to react at the right moment.
If it gets particularly frosty overnight, Kühn recommends simply covering the plants with a garden fleece.
As well as fruit and espalier trees.
If you don't have one at hand, an old sheet will do, according to the expert.
If you haven't covered, you can shake off the snow very carefully in the morning.
“This is how you reduce the pressure,” explains Kühn.
And where the bleeding heart is already blooming or the rhubarb sprouts from the earth, an overturned bucket also protects against frost.
“That isolates the plants from the cold at night,” she explains.
“So that they don't sweat, you should let them out into the air and sun again during the day.” Balcony plants can also be protected from the cold in this way.
“It's best to put them together in a sheltered corner or against the wall of the house,” explains Kühn.
Just one to two degrees can make all the difference for potted and container plants.
Plants, shrubs and fruit trees are therefore more robust than many think and can cope well with the brief onset of winter.
“If it stays cool for a while, we really appreciate it,” says Karl-Ludwig Rostock from the Bavarian Fruit Growing Association.
The snow slows down the vegetation and the late frost can affect the fruit trees less in a few weeks.
From Cornelia Schramm
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