Photo courtesy of NC State University
                                The plants that bring extra aesthetic qualities to your home are often a casualty of severe winter weather.

Photo courtesy of NC State University

The plants that bring extra aesthetic qualities to your home are often a casualty of severe winter weather.

After an unusually warm fall, and fairly warm December, January is following its usual pattern of bringing in some of our worst winter weather. Winter weather can cause damage to trees and plants in your landscape, which in turn may cause damage to buildings or vehicles as breaking branches crash down from the weight of snow and ice. Some pre-planning can keep your trees and landscape plants healthy, keeping collateral damage to a minimum.

As you’re developing your landscape, choose resilient plants that are resistant to wind and ice damage. Some trees and shrubs are more vulnerable than others. The tighter the angle where a branch attaches to the trunk, the more likely the branch is to break or split. Some trees, such as the ‘Bradford’ pear, are prone to tight branch angles, making them extremely susceptible to splitting and breaking from wind, snow, and ice. Other examples of trees that should be avoided, as they are more likely to be damaged in wind, snow, and ice include: Leyland cypress, lacebark elm, water oak, silver maple, green ash, willow, and pecan. If trees are damaged, replace them with ones more resistant to wind and ice damage such as crape myrtle, bald cypress, hickory, ironwood, ginkgo, and white oak.

If severe weather is forecast, consider tying up narrow, upright, evergreens with multiple leaders or upright branches, to prevent breakage and splaying (if still plant is small enough – don’t attempt this from a ladder!). Ring the outside of the plant with rope or narrow strips of cloth, tying up the main leaders together near the top. This helps the leaders support one another and helps branches resist downward bending and possible breakage. Be sure to remove the binding after the snow and ice has melted. Arborvitae, upright junipers, Leyland cypress, and ‘Sky Pencil’ holly all can be disfigured or splayed under heavy snow loads. When the time comes, if they need replacing, consider using ‘Oakleaf’, ‘Nellie Stevens’ or ‘Needlepoint’ holly, which are more resilient.

Prune plants properly to help provide structural strength and durability. Pruning should take place at the appropriate time of year, typically spring or early summer, although pruning off damaged branches can be done any time. Inspect and prune young trees to promote good structure and strong branching to increase their life span and improve survival rates in future storms. Many shrubs severely damaged by snow and ice can be pruned back hard if necessary to correct the damage. Wax myrtles are particularly prone to breaking when weighed down by snow and ice but can be cut back to within a few feet above ground level and will regrow, usually within one or two seasons. This is also true for most broadleaf evergreen shrubs (camellias, azaleas, hollies) and deciduous shrubs (spiraea, butterfly bush, Knockout rose).

Keep in mind spring-blooming shrubs cut back now will not bloom this year. On the other hand conifers (Thuja, juniper, cedars, arborvitae, pines) that break apart in ice storms will not recover and should be removed. They do not respond well to hard pruning. Damaged plants may need a little additional TLC in the coming year. Help trees and shrubs recover by applying a slow-release or organic fertilizer in spring (March-April). Water recovering trees and shrubs during dry spells this summer and fall.

If large trees are damaged by snow and ice, hire an ISA Certified Arborist to assess the damage and determine a plan of action. Working around power lines, using a chainsaw on a ladder, and similar work that takes experience and proper tools, should be left to the professionals.

Finally, a word on de-icers. Avoid using sodium chloride-based de-icing salts which can cause serious damage to both the roots and foliage of landscape plants within 30 feet of where the salt is spread. As snow melts, salt enters the soil, where it damages both soil structure and plant roots. If your evergreen plants are exposed to sodium chloride-laden salt spray, rinse the leaves with plain water as soon as possible after exposure when temperatures are above freezing. If salt washes off surfaces and soaks into the soil around salt-sensitive trees and shrubs, leach the soil by slowly saturating the area by allowing soaker hoses or drip irrigation to run in the area for two to three hours. Some plants are particularly sensitive to soil-borne salt including white pine, red maple, boxwoods, river birch, and pin oak. Products containing potassium chloride (KCl), calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), or calcium chloride (CaCl2) are much less likely to damage plants when properly used. Coarse sand and sawdust are simple, natural alternatives to de-icing chemicals. While they do not melt snow and ice, sand and sawdust will help provide traction on slick surfaces.

For more information on proper pruning techniques or working with damaged trees and plants, contact NC Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center at 910-997-8255, visit our website, Richmond.ncsu.edu and follow us on facebook.

Paige Burns Clark is the Horticulture Agent and director of the Richmond County Cooperative Extension.