In winter, ours are exposed to many factors. One of them is heavy snow lying on them, of which there is currently no shortage. It may damage many specimens. Especially when it comes to some of the more sensitive species. We tell you how to take care of your garden during snowfall and how to properly shake off snow.
Heavy and wet snow, which we often encounter after heavy rainfall, is quite a threat to our garden plants. Its presence on specimens may lead, among other things, to the breaking of branches and shoots, especially for plants that have flexible branches.
Plus snow often leads to deformation of the plant’s shapebecause too long a load on its branches causes it to bend permanently. Moreover, heavy snow is a threat to our specimens also because Shaking it off without taking proper care may result in depriving the plant of its natural thermal insulation.
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Some plants need regular shoveling of snow more than others during the current weather. Specimens that need special care include:
- Columnar conifers – such as, for example, thuja ‘Smaragd’ or junipers ‘Sky Rocket’. This is due to their narrow shape and their predisposition to breaking under the weight of snow.
- Cubs – we are talking about species that have delicate shoots. Their thin twigs may break.
- Plants with dense crowns – these specimens include, among others: yews and spruces. In their case, snow accumulates in the depressions, which increases the weight on the branches.
- Evergreen trees and shrubs – we are talking about, for example, laurel cherries or rhododendrons, whose branches, when loaded with snow, may become permanently deformed or simply break.
- Bushes decorative – this applies to specimens with limp shoots, such as, among others, ornamental grass or bouquet hydrangea. Snow may lead to permanent deformation.
It is important, however, that when removing snow from plants, it does not harm them more than the snow itself. Therefore, it is worth knowing what to watch out for so as not to damage our specimens. First of all, we need to choose the right moment to remove snow. It is best to do this when it is still loose, because when it thaws it becomes more compact and heavy, so it is easier to damage. However, it is a bad idea to shake off snow on very frosty days because then the branches are more brittle, so the probability of breaking them increases.
Let’s also be careful during the entire process and be gentle. Let’s avoid sudden movements that could break the frozen shoots. Use your hand or a soft broom to remove snow. The down should be shaken from the bottom, starting from the lower parts and gradually moving upwards. This will avoid additional load on the lower branches.
However, snowfall does not always mean the need to shake it off the plants. Sometimes it can be useful and act as a natural protection against frost for our specimens. Plants do not need to be cleared of snow when the snow is light and loose, because it does not burden the branches.
It is also not necessary when it covers low plants. Let’s also avoid shaking off snow when it is frozen on the branches, because we could mechanically damage the bark and break the shoots. It is best to simply check the condition of your plants systematically and take action to remove snow only when it becomes heavy.
