With the temperature pushing 70 degrees this week, mounds of piled snow were melting fast, unearthing front lawns.

City landscapers say that following months of harsh winter, the grass might just be greener, eventually.

"Overall, the snow itself is actually really good for your lawn," said Savas Kosmidis, the owner of Mass Landscaping & Snow of Worcester, adding that he "without a doubt" anticipated finding his clients' yards in better shape this spring than in years past.

The quantity of snow the region saw this winter – close to 80 inches as of March 11 – and the sustained period of freezing temperatures means lawns remained covered in snow for months.

That snow helps insulate the grass and other plants from frost, explained Dawn Davies, the formal gardens manager at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston.

"It definitely acts in our colder New England climate as sort of a fluffy white blanket," she said.

In winters past, when the region saw less snowfall, plants at the botanical garden would experience wind burn or suffer other damage as they struggled to acclimate to rapidly changing temperatures, Davies explained. This year, she expected to see less frost and wind-related injuries to the ground's plant material.
Dormant grass

The snow also keeps grasses in their dormant stage, preserving energy and protecting the soil, added Kosmidis, who has been in the landscaping industry for 15 years.

"When we had those winters where we got more rain than snow, those warmer temperatures actually damage the soil, letting it soften up," he said. "It makes it uneven."

Davies and Kosmidis both pointed to the enduring drought conditions in the region as an added snow benefit.

"Any extra precipitation, whether it's in rain form or snow is good, hopefully helping us to catch up on our deficit of precipitation," Davies said.
Excess moisture poses challenges

While snow has many insulating properties, the abundance of snowmelt can also create obstacles for local landscapers.

When temperatures swing rapidly from cold to hot, as they have done in recent years due to climate change, the snow can melt faster than your lawn is able to absorb it causing flooding, explained Kosmidis.

Snow mold and drainage issues are among the principal issues Jeremy Harris, owner and founder of Harris Lawn & Landscape of Worcester, said he encounters with his clients' lawns come springtime.

"More than anything it's too much water and it ends up being a muddy mess," Harris explained of the snowmelt. He anticipated helping customers with water repair work in the coming weeks and months.Snow plows and other snow removal equipment can also cut into lawn edges, requiring patch-ups in the springtime, said Harris.

Fortunate for homeowners, snow mold, a fungus that can thrive when moisture gets trapped under snow cover, will usually die on its own as temperatures warm and the grass dries out.
Gearing up for spring

As a first step of lawn maintenance post winter, Harris and Kosmidis recommend dethatching the lawn, a process of clearing away a compact layer of dead leaves and debris that lays between grass blades and the soil beneath. Excess thatch can prevent proper ventilation and inhibit grass growth, Harris explained.

"I would say the best thing homeowners can do is get out there and rake their lawns this spring," Harris said.

Kosmidis stressed that this shouldn't be done until the ground has dried completely and no risk of frost remains, usually sometime in mid April, he said.

"People get so sick of winter that they're very trigger happy when it comes to kick starting the landscaping. Yeah, and that's actually the worst thing you can do. You can create ruts. You can compact it. You can create low spots," he said.

Both Harris and Kosmidis, whose businesses also do snow removal, are transitioning from a punishing winter to what they anticipate will be an equally hectic spring.

"Once people start seeing their lawns, they start calling. Typically that happens all at once. So there's certainly what we call a spring rush," Harris said.

Kosmidis said that while the snow might be good for the lawn, it was especially rigorous to remove.

"You can be out there working 20, 30, 40 hours straight, go home to sleep for four hours and go right back out. So that was a huge challenge this winter," he said.

He is hopeful the spring will be a bit more mild, for his sake and for the lawns'.

"Yeah, the extremes never help any situation. Extremes winters are not good for anybody. Extreme hot, dry summers are not good for anybody. So the the closest to average, the better for everyone," said Kosmidis.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Heavy snow was good for your lawn, landscapers say Link: https://www.telegram.com/story/news/2026/03/11/heavy-snow-was-good-for-your-lawn-landscapers-say/89069769007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z119120p118250l004550c118250v119120d--xx--b--xx--&gca-ft=176&gca-ds=sophi