The Onion Snow

The “onion snow” won’t bother this garlic, another type of allium. Photos by Doug Oster Tribune-Review

When the garden is covered in a morning carpet of snow this late in the season, we call it the onion snow. It will be gone in just a few hours, but is always a rather shocking way to start the day.

Don’t worry, most plants will be fine. Certainly spring bulbs are used to it and will shake it off as the afternoon sun brings them back in to their glory.

Garlic, onions, lettuce, Swiss chard and all the other cold loving plants won’t even blink.

As gardeners all we can do is sit back and enjoy what hopefully is the last gasp of winter.

Last year’s hydrangea blooms hang on to the morning snow.

Don’t worry about spring bulbs, they’ll be fine.

The snow is pretty when it’s gone by the afternoon.