February 19, 1997
Looking out over the beauty of our most recent snow, I was reminded of the questions I have been asked over the years about how to protect plants from the threat of snow. Before addressing any protective or remedial action that a gardener might take, I think it only fair to come to the defense of snow and praise it for its positive contributions.
Not only does it provide us with a beautiful backdrop to the cardinal and chickadee feeding on the deck, when deep enough, it gives us a built-in reason to stay home for the day. From a gardener's perspective, it also offers warmth and wind protection to the overwintering spinach, pansies, and multitude of perennials that we had not yet mulched. Snow is an excellent insulator with thousands of tiny air pockets that hold the soil warmth around the plants it covers. A thick layer protects plants from the winds that dry and tear at leaves and buds.
Snow Can Replenish Moisture
Snow can gradually replenish the subsoil moisture levels when it melts slow enough to seep in rather than run off as the winter rains too often do. In areas where snow stays on the ground long enough, it actually reduces some of the freezing and thawing that forces perennials out of the ground.
But as with everything, there is a negative side to snow. It melts and makes a mess, tracking in on your boots and dog paws. It creates chaos when those other drivers don't perform up to par on snow-covered roads. And when it come down long and hard enough, it breaks tree branches and splits shrubs into ugly parodies of themselves. Once the snow begins, there is relatively little that you can do.
Your job is to prevent the damage from occurring by selecting plants that are least susceptible to snow or ice damage and locating plants where they are least likely to be hurt. Observations of ice damage to trees on the Virginia Tech campus spotlight the ginkgo as a real winner, while the Calgary pear has suffered terribly.
Snow's Weight Can Break Branches
Shrubs, such as boxwood, yews, and arborvitae, have even greater problems if planted under the eaves of a house where snow can slide off the roof. Along a sidewalk, Japanese hollies and azaleas are severely damaged by the added burden of snow and ice shoveled from the walk and dumped on them. De-icing salts then weaken the broken plant further.
Knocking snow off as it accumulates can help avoid breakage, but this requires repeated efforts throughout the storm. Few gardeners will take the 2 am shift.
After the snows have melted and the damage is repaired, lay plans for a landscape that is less likely to be damaged by a beautiful force you can't control.
More gardening information is available in the Virginia Gardener Newsletter.
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