Father Frost gives presents to the children on New Year's Eve.

Together with Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, he comes out of the magic forest on a sleigh pulled by three white horses and spreads joy.

The fairy tale character, popular not only in Russia but also in other Slavic countries, reflects a positive perception of winter that is less common in western regions.

In the Anglo-Saxon world, for example, the unpredictable Jack Frost is up to mischief, covering the country with meters of snow and letting nature suffer from the bitter cold.

Poetry from the land of poets and thinkers often doesn't see a good side in winter either.

Certainly, for Matthias Claudius, this time of the year is a real man, but it demands many hard deprivations from people.

When winter sets in, "stone and leg crumbles with frost" and people freeze.

palm tree in the far east

"Dark mists" are raising "and the birds' songs are silent in the field", as is sung in a folk tune.

As soon as it gets cold, it's "sad, desolate and empty" and everyone longs for the warm spring sun.

And the spruce tree that Heinrich Heine sees stands lonely on a bare hill and dreams of a palm tree in the distant orient.

In our latitudes, however, climate change means that ice-cold days in winter are becoming rarer.

If, like Rilke, you want to see “the tall firs “breathe hotter” in the snow, you usually have to go to the mountains.

The gardeners in the lowlands, spoiled by the warmth, are therefore uneasy when the thermometer falls below zero, which is replaced by panic when there are double-digit minus degrees: Is the winter protection in the garden sufficient, is the anxious question.

How do I heat my greenhouse where the frost-sensitive plants have found shelter?

Because the popular clay pot heating is no longer sufficient.

Impressive play of colours

However, worrying about your own greenery and longing for the first spring flowers should not lead to the mistake of ignoring the advantages of the frosty weather and overlooking the beauties of the winter garden.

As temperatures drop and the ground freezes, the garden transforms into a magical wonderland of sparkling ice and glittering snow.

The delicate crystals that form on the leaves and branches of the plants create an impressive play of light and colour.

But the low temperatures also benefit Mother Earth: the frost breaks up compacted soil by allowing moisture to penetrate, freeze and blast apart clods of earth due to the increase in volume.

The soil becomes fine-grained and in spring the roots of the plants can penetrate more easily and absorb nutrients better.

Frost helps against pests

The frost is also important for the germination of seeds.

The so-called cold germs such as wild garlic (Allium ursinum), cowslip (Primula veris) and poppy (Papaver) need low temperatures for a long time in order to later grow into healthy plants.

However, the frosty weather is of little help against the pest plague next year.

Aphids and spider mites are not permanently decimated, even if many a garden lover longs for this.

The pests - just like the beneficial insects - have adapted to cold winters in the course of evolution.

Their eggs survive even icy phases.

Late frosts, on the other hand, are deadly, as is damp and cold weather in spring.

Ice-cold winters put a limit to the rapidly advancing Mediterraneanization of the gardens.

All the plants from southern Europe that are offered for sale in garden centers and hardware stores all year round do not have stress tolerance through acclimatization and hardening.

When temperatures plummet, even extensive insulation is often of no use to protect figs (Ficus carica), bay trees (Laurus nobilis), oleanders (Nerium oleander) and olive trees (Olea europaea).

Some subtropical neophytes that global trade has brought to Central Europe, such as the Chinese hemp palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), are now being eliminated.

Politically incorrect, but botanically unavoidable is the statement that