Snow Damage

Obviously, Mother Nature doesn’t adhere to the current ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Pruning Standards.  Her method is “bend-it, break-it, and leave-it.”  If you want neat, safe, and/or healthy, you’ll have to do it yourself.
As I write this, it is 9ºF outside.  There are about 15 inches of snow recently layered on top of the 6 to 8 inches left from the last.  The Weather Channel is promising another 2 to 5 inches tomorrow. This is approaching the most snow in one winter season and certainly the longest lingering snow cover I’ve seen in my 30 years in Virginia
At Boxerwood our shrubs and small trees have taken a real hit.  The snows have bent the more limber limbs to the ground,  splayed multileadered shrubs, pulled limbs out of their sockets, split forked branches, and just plain broken the brittle.  Big pines are leaning under the weight of snow; even the winds can’t seem to shake the snow loose.
And just when you think it couldn’t get worse, the temperature rises just enough to melt the snow, let the water flow down to one particular spot on the limb, and then freeze into much weightier ice.  I’m not sure it actually weighs more, but the weight is now in one concentrated spot rather than distributed over a larger area.
Back in 1985 when I began working for Dr. Munger in his beloved Boxerwood, the only thing I remember doing before a snow was to make sure the deciduous leaves that had fallen on the evergreens were removed so as to lessen their ability to catch and hold the weight of the snow.
We might also wrap a few plants (See below).  After a snow, if Dr. Munger considered it necessary, we would walk about, shaking off the plants.  At that point in time, the majority of his plants were young and willowy.  Now they have all grown up.  Most are unshakable and there is simply not enough time or staff to do all that we might do to prevent damage for each and every tree. 
For those of us with just a few foundation plants and/or a few special trees and shrubs, let me review some of the actions that might help.

BEFORE:

• Rake or sweep any deciduous leaves that have fallen onto evergreens.
• Wrap the plant.  Dr. Munger’s instruction for skinny, upright Junipers, Yews, and Spruces was to wrap them with fishing line so as to prevent splaying, bending, etc.  He also would do this for the occasional important multileadered shrub.  You could also use snow fencing, chicken wire, or any old fence.
• Build a shelter.  Some folks actually construct shelters that look like parking cones and/or sandwich board.

DURING:

• If the snow is quick to let go with a gentle shake, put on your boots, grab a broom or extension pole and walk among your trees and shrubs encouraging the snow to fall to the ground.
• When snow accumulates on the branches of conifer trees, the branches can be bent fairly far down from the weight of the snow. If you want to remove the snow, DO NOT BRUSH THE SNOW IN A DOWNWARD MOTION! If you brush snow downward you may break the branch. Always brush upward from underneath the branch to remove snow safely.
• If the temperature is cold and the snow has a tendency to stick to the plant, do not shake off the snow.  You might actually do more damage.  Just let it melt and then do what you can to help the plant.
• If you experience an ice storm that coats the branches of your conifer or leafless deciduous tree, DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO REMOVE THE ICE! You will do more damage than good. Leave the ice and let it melt naturally as the weather warms up.

AFTER:

• If a limb or leader is actually torn or broken, do what you would do in any other season to provide for the health of the plant and the safety of the people and animals that might be endangered by it.  Look up proper pruning practices.
• For the more ambitious of us, you might consider reattaching smaller broken limbs. (Grafting techniques.)
• Even if you don’t protect your plants and they suffer some damage, all is not lost. Drooping limbs can be propped up; fallen trees can sometimes be pulled upright.
• Many times, the best advice after a winter storm has wreaked havoc is to simply wait and see. Spring will come eventually and an evaluation of what should be done can be made then. Don’t be in a rush to discard plants that show major damage. It is amazing what a plant can do to rejuvenate itself in only one growing season.

Even though I have worked diligently to differentiate between various scenarios and circumstances, when one is speaking of nature, you can never account for all potentials and possibilities.  That being said, I’d like to add my usual disclaimer, “No matter what, it depends…………”

No matter.
SPRING WILL EVENTUALLY COME. 

KB, Garden Steward
The picture above shows Clara Williams, Garden Assistant, coming to the aid of a plant in the snow.