Are you looking for the best insulation there is for your plants? One that is free? We have the answer for you – snow. That’s right. Snow acts as an insulator and protects your garden from the cold and hard frost. However, it is important to remember that a heavy snowfall can also cause branches to break and damage delicate plants.
Salt is very toxic and can be a gardener’s nightmare. It can cause winter injury and dieback. Salt spray can desiccate foliage and runoff saturated in road salt can injure roots. We use Alaskan Ice Melter to clear ice and prevent salt damage to garden plants.
Clearing snow and ice from your driveway and walkways can be a lot of work. Many municipalities have by-laws that state snow must be cleared within 24 hours following a snowfall. Invest in a great snow shovel that is designed for pushing snow rather than lifting.
These simple steps will help protect your yard and plants from being damaged by snow:
- Shake excess snow [especially heavy, wet snow] from the branches of trees, shrubs and hedges. This will ensure your plants keep their desired shape.
- Wrap conifers [evergreens] with string to support the branches. Once a branch has been stretched out of shape under the weight of snow, it will not return to its original form.
- Avoid walking on your lawn when it is covered with snow. This can damage the grass and leave impressions of your boots, which become visible in the spring. Driving across the lawn during the winter can also cause damage.
- Wrap burlap around cedars and evergreens that are exposed to wind, especially westerly winds. Two layers of inexpensive burlap around all evergreens will help to prevent damage from the weight of snow and sun scald in late winter, when the sun reflects off a clean, white layer of snow onto evergreen foliage.
- Wrap upright evergreens, especially cedars, on the east side of a busy road with two layers of burlap to avoid the inevitable salt drift that occurs when traffic kicks the salt solution or brine up off the road. The prevailing winds push it in the direction of your prized evergreens. The two layers of natural burlap will insulate them from the damage that will surely occur from the burning effects of the salt.
- Apply Wilt-Pruf, an ‘anti-desiccant’, to all broad-leaved evergreens like boxwood and holly to prevent winter desiccation. Apply when temperatures are above freezing. This ready-to-use liquid is magic on boxwood, yews and cedars that are exposed to wind and road-salt spray, and rhododendrons. The humidity in our winter air drops to less than 10 per cent some days, causing the moisture in the foliage of tender evergreens to evaporate. The result is browning in the extreme.