Protect Landscape Plants from Snow and Ice this Winter

A dusting of snow on trees and shrubs is the very picture of Minnesota winters. But when snow is wet and heavy, or when there is freezing rain instead of snow, the picture isn't so pretty. Heavy snow or ice can damage trees and shrubs by weighing down branches and breaking limbs. Shrubs planted close to house foundations are susceptible to damage if accumulated snow slides off of the roof.

Both evergreen and deciduous landscape plants may be damaged by snow and ice loads. Columnar forms of arborvitae and juniper are especially susceptible to snow and ice damage. These evergreen shrubs have numerous upright stems and the weight of collected snow or ice on the foliage can pull the stems downward. The flat tops of formally pruned hedges also tend to accumulate heavy snow loads. This may result in broken central branches and splayed side branches, which can ruin the form of the hedge.

While there is nothing we can do about the weather, there are a few things we can do to protect plants from snow and ice. Most plants are flexible enough to bend under a snow load, and then regain their shape when the snow melts. For this reason, it's not necessary to remove snow from branches in most winter snowfalls. However, if very heavy snow is threatening to break branches on valued plants, you can gently remove most of the snow to free the branches. Use a broom and gently sweep the snow up and off the branches. Frozen branches are brittle so don't whack at them to remove snow. Ice cannot be removed from branches without injuring the plant, so just allow ice to melt or fall off on its own.

Badly broken branches should be pruned off when you can do the job safely. Branches that are bent but not broken should be left on the tree until spring. The bent branches may recover to an acceptable form. If not, you can prune them out as needed. To reduce the chance of snow damage on columnar arborvitae and junipers you can wrap them with twine in late fall to hold the stems together. When installing new plants, remember to plant them out beyond the roof line to avoid snow slide damage.

The author is Nancy Rose, a horticulturist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service Regional Center, Farmington, MN. Source: www.extension.umn.edu