Snow's harm to shrubs, trees will be minimal

Icould hardly have predicted after writing last week's declaration -- "the tide has turned, we are on our way to spring -- that we would wake two days later to 6 inches of snow and lows in the lower teens.

It is always a sad sight to see trees and shrubs bent over by the weight of accumulated ice and snow. The familiar shapes outside the front door morph into bizarre white-cloaked, free-form sculptures. They are beautiful, and you have to wonder how did my little shrub turn into this thing? But then suddenly it occurs to you, uh-oh, what if it stays that way?

I assure you this is most unlikely, and the worse thing to do at this point is to go about shaking and beating on the plant in an attempt to free it from its new-found form. If there is damage to be done by this situation, then these sorts of actions are the things that will impart it. Better to wait for nature to slowly right itself, and usually it will.

Besides all those anxious daffodils we discussed last week, the damage from this storm to our trees and shrubs will likely be minor. Not that winter is free of fret here in the piedmont. Though we may be better off than some in our readership area, there are always issues.

Among the most common encountered is the avalanche of snow that can sluice at once off the roof to the foundation shrubs waiting below. This is a matter of sheer weight at one time dumped on the poor unsuspecting victim. There is little to be done about it other than plan ahead, and few of us carry this eventuality in the forefront of our minds during the tra-la-la days of spring planting season.

I have seen painting easel-shaped contraptions set up over vulnerable shrubs to protect them from these scenarios, but short of protecting that prized camellia passed down from your great grandfather, it's unlikely that we will use the tool-shed space on such a contraption in the South.

Warming trend

Plants that thaw quickly are more likely to sustain damage than those that have a more gradual warming period. This means that those shrubs situated to receive morning sun will suffer the most.

Sometimes newly planted trees can be shifted in their planting hole by the weight of snow and ice. These can be supported three-fourths of the way up with guy wires and stakes in the ground to bring them back to their former position. Make sure to protect the area where wire meets tree with hose or rubber strapping.

Clearly broken branches should be pruned out once the snow has melted. Another issue that might come up is brown out on evergreens. Brown patches of branches appear, usually in a localized area. Sometimes this will correct itself through the breaking of dormant buds so it is best to wait until spring and see if there is regeneration once growth commences.

Other times it will appear that you have lost a plant altogether only to have it regenerate from the base. I expect to see some of that this year, because we have had some pretty low temperatures for our area. Marginal plants, those that are near their borderline of winter hardiness here, are most likely to pull this one. It is always better to wait to see if a shrub will regenerate in this fashion until well into the growing season. It can take it a while to get going again.

You can scrape the outermost layer of bark off of a young branch with a knife and see if green tissue is revealed beneath. If it is brown or tan and woody looking, that branch is dead. Wait until the growing season is under way before you make this determination. If it is dead, cut the branches to a point several inches above the crown and hope for the best.

Avoid salt

It is also a good idea to be careful of the use of salt (sodium chloride) on sidewalks, which can harm plants and soils in runoff. Some people use fertilizer for this (which is also salt) and come away with very green lawns in a strip around their sidewalks. Calcium chloride could be considered an alternative.

Browsing animals are more likely to do desperate things this time of year, too. Deer will move closer into gardens when the winter nibbling gets slim in the woods. I was noticing the other day how rabbits had gnawed the bark off buttressed roots on some large fig trees. Damage to bark at the base of trees and shrubs can have serious consequences. Trees can be wrapped with chicken wire at their bases where this is a problem.

Remember that desiccation can be a big issue here. Evergreens continue to transpire, and wind and sun further dry them out in the winter. We often forget these plants need supplemental irrigation in the winter, especially the newly planted. Mulching goes a long way to remedy the problem too.

I am hoping that you can tuck this advice away and use it next year and that in fact, this week, the tide has turned, and we are well on our way to spring.

■ If you have a gardening question or story idea, write to David Bare in care of Features, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-3159, or send e-mail to his attention to gardening@wsjournal.com.