I made the sure the windows and doors were secure, I went downstairs and took a look at the furnace to make sure it was in proper working order, and I had every blanket and portable heater ready to take on the night. The snow shovel was at the door, ready for quick access, and I had emergency flashlights and candles ready in case we needed them.

I was as prepared as I could be.

We were supposed to get the dangerous thunder-snow with snow fall rates of more than 3 inches an hour, and my greatest fear was that it would knock out the power. I did everything I could to make sure I was prepared, but ultimately, it was up to Mother Nature.

Facebook was aflutter with friends talking about the Snowpacalypse, and my wife was looking forward to seeing the storm. As the snow started, I watched as the wind blew heavily and as the drift grew steadily against my front door until I couldn’t open it at all. There was a 2-foot drift, and it wasn’t going to budge.

When the thunder-snow started and the house was shaken by thunder, I began to worry about the power again. The radio told reports of hundreds of stranded cars on the road, and the National Guard had been called in to help the state police.

It would appear the Snowpacalypse was here and going strong. About 6 inches had already been dumped, and the heavy winds made it impossible for snow plows to keep up, so they just stopped. It got to the point where you couldn’t tell where the road was in comparison to anything and the world was a solid field of white.

By midnight, the snow began to subside, and the forecasts became more favorable. We only had about a foot of snow dumped on us, and the power never went out. I talk about how to be prepared for winter weather and storms such as these, and you do your best. I don’t know if things would have fared differently if I had not been prepared, but it was reassuring that I did everything I could and survived the Snowpacalypse with ease.

Image Source:flickr.com/photos/birdies100/4347296054

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This is going to be a rough 48-hours, and your home has to be prepared for the worst. It’s no different than living in a hurricane or flooding area. There is always a chance that it could happen, so you need to be prepared. The last thing you want is something major happening when there is a blizzard.

1. Check your windows. Winds can be in excess of 30-40 miles per hour in a blizzard and that means wind chills of 30 or 40 degrees below zero. You windows are the weakest link in keeping the heat in your home. Winds this fast and cold can drop a house temperature by 10 degrees or more, especially if they are drafty. Protect your home by putting plastic over the windows and securing it with tape and staples.

2. Cover door cracks. Doors are another place of significant heat loss, as the wind slips through the cracks such as the bottom of the door. Place a blanket at the bottom off the door to cover the crack, and if the door isn’t used, then cover it in plastic just like the windows.

3. Make sure awning and screen doors are secure. I learned this the hard way. A few years ago, wind ripped an awning off our front door. Every awning is triple secured using multiple screws, and I am sure that if a tornado hits, the only thing that would be left of house would be the awnings. Screen doors have a tendency to become unlatched, and while they may not be ripped off their hinges, you don’t want to hear a slamming door all night.

4. Keep an eye on your pipes. The cold of a blizzard can easily cause the pipes to freeze, and you can suddenly find yourself without water. It’s best to buy some bottled water in case this happens. It’s also not a bad idea to buy a couple days’ worth of meals and snacks.

5. Always have extra blankets. With high winds and cold temperatures, there is the possibility that the electricity could go out. Crews will have a hard time finding the problem in a blizzard and fixing it, so it may be a day or so before the power comes back on. For many, that means no heat, so pile on the blankets to keep everyone warm. You may want to consider purchasing a backup generator for such a purpose.

A blizzard can be deadly to those who are not prepared for the worst. Emergency crews will have a difficult time navigating the snow-covered roads and seeing in blizzard conditions, so it’s best to be prepared and keep yourself and your family safe.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/jasonpersse/5297211166

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These Pelargoniums have damage from too many sub-freezing nights. New growth can be seen emerging from the center of the plant. Image by Gardenipedia.

STEP 1:  CLEAN-UP YOUR ACT

The first step is to clean up the garden bed.  Remove any weeds that may already have emerged, throw out any rocks you see lying around (unless you want them there), clean-up debris, and use your trusty pruning shears to remove all dead growth from plants.  But hold on!  If you see any green on any of the “dead” growth you’re cutting, you may just be pruning dormant branches so be careful.   It is vital that you clean up all the dead growth as this can harbor diseases and insects that may affect the new, green growth emerging from plants.

The Pelargonium cleaned up. Notice I left the dead leaves in there. They will eventually break down and add much needed organic matter into the soil. Image by Gardenipedia.com

STEP 2: ADDING THE GOOD STUFF.

Whenever I work in a garden bed; whether its cleaning up or adding a plant or something else, I like to take the opportunity to add compost to the area.  You can add compost that you made yourself or go to your local garden center and buy the stuff in bags.  If your flowers all died in winter, till the compost into the soil to a depth of about one to two feet.  This will give a good growing medium to new plants.  If some of your perennials are still ticking, however, you may want to top dress instead, as tilling the compost into the soil is bound to damage the roots of the plants.  Compost helps add nutrients to the soil, but more importantly, it helps to give the soil a good structure (I’ll be going into this in a future post).

The flower bed with a compost top-dressing. Make sure not to cover new growth as this may suffocate the crown of the plant, killing it. Image by Gardenipedia.com

STEP 3: INDULGE IN A LITTLE SHOPPING SPREE.

This is the time to add the new flowers.  If you’re doing this when it is still cold outside, make sure that the plants you choose can withstand the wide temperature fluctuations of late-winter and early-spring.  I won’t be going into planting specifics in this post as each plant has its own requirements, but you can ask your local garden center for help when you buy the plants.  If your flower bed still has last year’s survivors and they are coming along slowly, you can still indulge in a little shopping by giving them some companions in the new year (assuming that there is still space in the garden bed, you don’t want to suffocate the plants).   The new companions will give a little show while last years plants come back to full force.

I added Osteospermum to the garden bed to grow in some of the bigger gaps between some of last year’s Pelargonium. Make sure not to harm the roots of the established plants. Image by Gardenipedia.com

STEP 4: MUCLH AWAY

Add landscape mulch to your beds for a clean look, to help retain moisture in the ground, to add nutrients over time to the ground, and to to control weeds.  Try to stay away from synthetic mulches, such as rubber, as it does not offer much nutritional benefits to plants.  Also, stay away from mulches like Cypress mulch which are made from slow growing trees, pick mulches from tree farms or fast growing tree varieties.  A 1-2″ layer of mulch is generally good.  Be carefull not to suffocate new growth under the mulch.  After your finish muclhing clean up your tools, put yard trash away, and enjoy your refurbished landscape bed.  They should look like winter was never here.

The finished mailbox flower bed. The Pelargoniums, still barely visible in between newer plants, will take over the show in a month or two. Image by Gardenipedia.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.

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