Winter weather can take a toll on shrubs; broken branches are common signs of winterdamage. Snow and ice can weigh down branches, leading to cracks and breaks. Broken branches not only affect the aesthetics of your shrubs but also threaten their overall health. Bright sunny winter days accelerate the temperatures on southern to southwest sides ofshrubs, which damages the cambium. Tissue damage shows up as cracked bark with a reddish, darker appearance. is most common on plants along the road. With proper shrub care during the summer and fall months, you can help protect your landscaping from winterdamage. Yet, many homeowners call ArborLawn in the spring, looking for help to fix the physical damageofwinter. Here are the most common types of winterdamage we see. Q: Every winter the snow damages some of my shrubs. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? A: A heavy snow load caused by excessive amounts of snow, ice, or an unusually wet snow will often damage woody shrubs and trees. What do about winterdamage to shrubs?Should you cut off winterdamaged shoots?Not all plants will survive winterdamage Causes of WinterDamage to Shrubs. Contrary to popular belief, cold winters don't customarily cause shrubdamage. Extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the season are more often the culprit. Plants can be in dormancy, but not fully acclimated to the climate conditions. These animals may feed on trees and shrubs during winter and severely damage or destroy plants. Damage is most likely to occur when food is scarce during prolonged periods of snow cover. Mice and rabbits may girdle the trunks of small trees, effectively destroying them. By considering winter stress factors and protecting shrubs against them, you can minimize damage to the landscape. Less damage to correct means more time and money for pleasurable pursuits in or out of the garden. Gardeners across the country experienced extreme cold temperatures this past winter leaving many shrubs visibly damaged. The impact of the cold snap is most evident on broadleaf evergreens like nandina, mahonia, holly, and loropetalum. Winters in New Hampshire can be tough for many landscape plants. Fluctuating temperatures, drying winds, salt spray, snow, ice, and rodents all have the potential to seriously damage trees and shrubs. Winterdamagedshrubs should have begun growth by June 1 at the latest. However, freeze damagedshrubs often begin growth early only to collapse and die with the first hot days of summer. Treat freeze-damaged plants as follows: Narrowleaf Evergreens (juniper, pine, etc.) Extremely cold temperatures, coupled with strong winds and soil that was frozen solid for months, combined to cause some serious damage to shrubs that had sailed through previous winters. Most needled evergreen trees and shrubs are more forgiving of winter extremes, though occasional damage may be observed. The most common type of damage is needle burn, in which the needles turn a brown or reddish-brown in color. Winterdamage can occur on many plants. A rapid temperature drop following a mid-winter thaw can cause bark splitting. Dead twigs and branches in the spring may be the result of ice and snow damage from the winter.Freeze or frost damage on new growth ofshrub.
