Here in Northern Virginia, we have milder winters compared to many of our friends up North, but we still deal with freezing temperatures, ice, and snow. In fact, at the time this blog article was written, we were dealing with winter snowstorms across our region.
Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures can cause some landscape trouble. For that reason, you might be worrying about winter plant damage.
Your trees and shrubs are a valuable part of your landscape and you don’t want them to be damaged by harsh winter weather conditions.
This article will discuss how to protect trees and shrubs from frost and winter weather damage. Making wise choices around winter plant protection will help set you up for success.
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After reading this article, we hope you will feel prepared to deal with whatever the winter weather throws at you.
Frost can harm a plant by causing the water inside of the plant to freeze. This leads to plant cells bursting, which can be deadly to the plant. Frost damage can occur anytime that the temperatures dip below freezing.
Frost protection for plants involves covering your plants with a breathable material like burlap.
Many of your landscape plants will enter dormancy in the winter and be protected from frost damage during this time. However, plants are more susceptible to frost damage in the early winter (before dormancy has set in) or late winter/early spring as your plants come out of dormancy.
As plants start taking in water again in the early spring, an unexpected night of dropping temperatures can cause trouble. It’s always important to watch temperatures around these times and protect plants if needed.
Mulching also plays an important role in protecting plants from freezing temperatures. A healthy mulch layer helps insulate plant roots, which can be damaged by prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures.
Any breathable material can cover a plant and protect it from frost. Materials like burlap, sheets, or blankets work well.
Avoid using plastic as it is not a breathable material and can lead to something called the “greenhouse effect,” which means the sun can cause the trapped air to overheat and harm the plant inside of the plastic.
Trapped moisture is also a problem with using plastic. Trapped moisture can lead to fungal growth on your plants.
Plan to cover your at-risk plants anytime that the temperature is predicted to drop below 40 degrees. Native and naturalized plant species are often hardiest, but even these can sometimes be susceptible to wild swings in temperature.
As we mentioned, it is important to consider the weather forecast during “fringe” seasons, like early winter and early spring.
These are times when the weather starts to change but can still take unexpected or dramatic dips.
Overall, snow has an insulating effect, and native or naturalized plants tend to be very resilient. Even so, some plants need to be protected from too much heavy, wet snow (the type we tend to get here most often).
Wet and heavy snow can cause shrubs to become misshapen and lead to broken branches if left unattended.
Evergreen shrubs such as arborvitae or Sky Pencil Hollies and trees such as Leyland Cypress are some of the most likely to experience damage. This is due to their narrow and vertical shape. These plants often grow in a way that the top is open and airy which means that snow can fall down the middle. This can cause these plants to splay open with heavy snow weighing down the branches.
We recommend gently “shaking off” excess snow load from plants like these in an effort to lessen damage or breaks.
Specimen deciduous plants like Japanese Maples are also well-served with a gentle shaking with a broom or a stick to lessen the weight of snow piling up on branches.
Care should always be taken when shoveling or snow-blowing as you don’t want to inadvertently pile snow onto your plants. Care should also be taken to avoid or minimize shoveling salt-laden snow onto plants as the salt can harm them.
Some of your property’s trees and shrubs will be more vulnerable to the cold-weather conditions than others.
Evergreens, for instance, commonly experience winter plant damage. When the ground freezes, and the roots can no longer take up water, they use stored water from their leaves. This can lead to severe dehydration.
Anti-desiccant sprays for trees can be an effective solution to this problem. An anti-desiccant spray provides a protective coating that keeps the leaves from losing too much water through evaporation. This helps to save every last drop for the plant.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, our Plant Health Care Treatment Round #7 involves using one of these products. The optimal timeframe for an application is December or January.
The idea is that it creates a thin film locking in moisture and not allowing the plant to evaporate water due to sunshine and wind. It is not used on all trees and shrubs as many are not subject to these problems. It is mainly used on evergreens (boxwoods, hollies, arborvitae, and roses).
Ice can also cause trouble for your trees and shrubs. The best way to protect trees and shrubs from ice damage is with proper pruning ahead of time. This is a proactive approach that needs to be considered before a storm.
Ornamental trees, in particular, can be pruned so that any defects or weak branches are removed, giving your trees a better chance of withstanding snow or ice.
Shrubs can be shaped to be as tight as possible in an effort to prevent snow from falling inside and splaying them open.
Of course, even pruning is not foolproof. If you have certain ornamental trees or shrubs on your property that are constantly getting snow (or ice) damaged, then you might want to consider replacing them with plants that are less likely to be problematic.
One thing that you should NOT do when it comes to protecting your plants from ice is attempt to break the ice off the branches. When delicate branches are encased in ice, you are much more likely to break them if you attempt to remove the ice. Allow it to melt naturally once temperatures warm up.
It’s also worth mentioning that trees and shrubs are generally unbelievably resilient. We’ve seen some landscapes that got hit incredibly hard during winter and still bounced back beautifully.
Sometimes, it just takes time and patience. If you are worried about your trees and shrubs, you can always talk to your landscape professional about what extra steps you can take or what needs to be done next.
If you’re reading this article post-storm and you have already experienced some damage to your landscape, you might be wondering about your next steps.
Ultimately, it will depend on what has occurred and whether it’s something that your tree or shrub can “bounce back” from. As we mentioned above, plants are very resilient, and many will bounce back, even if they struggle to come out of the winter. But that’s not the case for all plants (or all damage).
If you have a tree or shrub severely damaged by a storm, you might want to consider its value to you.
If it is an ornamental tree or shrub that is absolutely irreplaceable for you (most commonly because of sentimental attachment or an important function over monetary value), then you can consider recovery techniques.
We can take some steps to tie a misshapen tree or shrub up and try to fill gaps. But it could take lots of TLC to nurse the tree or shrub back to health. This can often be more costly than just replacing the ornamental tree or shrub (plus, there is no guarantee that these remediation methods will work).
Talk to a landscape professional about what is best for your specific landscape and the specific winter plant damage that has occurred.
A lot can go wrong in the winter, but you can set your landscape up for success with some forethought and planning.
There’s no question that your best course of action is preventative care. That means partnering with a landscaping company that will offer you best practice tips but also set you up with realistic expectations. If your best course of action is a replacement, you want landscape professionals who will tell you this.
At Kingstowne, you can always count on us to steer you in the right direction. We believe in partnering with the homeowners we work with and helping guide them toward the best choices for their landscape.
We recognize that what’s best for you might not be best for your neighbor. That’s why we take a customized approach. You deserve a landscape professional who has your best interest at heart.
Are you ready to partner with a landscaping company that will help guide you to the best decisions for your Alexandria, Arlington, or Springfield, VA home? If so, request your consultation, get your customized plan, and relax as you get the royal treatment.
Image Sources | Redtwig Dogwoods in Snow, Shrub in Ice, Arborvitae in Snow