How To Repair Trees and Shrubs After Snow Damage

 A Do-It-Yourself Guide

Heavy snow storms can cause a lot of damage to trees and shrubs. They usually recover quite naturally, but sometimes need some help. Here are some helpful first aid tips for trees.

Broken limbs and branches may be repaired by setting them as a doctor would a broken bone. If the breaks are fairly clean and fresh, the broken ends may be put back in place, tightly bound, properly supported, and allowed to grow together. Here’s how:

• Begin the repair immediately. If the damaged tissue has dried after several days or even hours of separation, it’s unlikely to repair itself.
• Line up the broken ends, giving special attention to all of the outer edges for they contain the cambium tissue. Cambium is responsible for repairing and replacing damaged cells, and forming bark. If the edges don’t meet, they won’t grow together properly.
• Wrap the mend tightly with grafting tape.
• Spread or spray tree wound dressing on the repaired area to form a moisture barrier. (Whether this is actually necessary is a subject of debate within the horticultural community.)
• Support the break with wooden splints along the sides, above and below, tightly wrapped. 1” x 2”grade stakes or tree stakes of sufficient length are good for larger branches. Longer limbs and branches might need to be propped up from the ground with 2” x 4” timbers. Stakes and timbers can be purchased at a local hardware store. Grafting tape can be purchased online or from a garden center.
• Leave everything in place for at least one growing season, and possibly two. But inspect the mend every few weeks to make sure that it isn’t restricting (i.e. choking) the branch as it thickens.

After all that, the grafting might not be successful, especially if the break was ragged or dirty. Limbs seldom break evenly. 

Jagged edges present real problems, for it’s difficult to match the broken ends for a strong repair. If so, remove the limb behind the break, if possible. New sprouts may form to replace the broken limb. (Not all species are accommodating.) Aesthetically, this works best on younger branches. Older limbs might not sprout at all, and if they do, they might look like crap. If that’s the case, you might be better off removing the limb entirely. Here’s how:

• Identify the “collar” where the limb joins the trunk. It’s a swollen area that surrounds the base of the limb at the trunk. This structure contains all the regenerative tissue needed to heal over the cut.
• Cut the limb cleanly and evenly at the outer edge of the collar.
• Trim off any ragged edges.
• Trim off the stub, if you cut too far out. If a stub is left poking out, the tissue can’t grow over the wound. The stub will die, and the necrosis (death) will proceed into the trunk itself, weakening the whole plant, and eventually causing its death. If the collar is removed, the wound will take longer to heal, if it heals at all.
• Apply wound dressing if it makes you feel better.

Proper place to cut tree limb stub

Necrotic tree limb stub

If new sprouts emerge from the cut area, one might be chosen to replace the missing branch. Here’s how:

• Remove the weakest sprouts when they are fresh and recently emerged. (This might require doing more than once.) Rub or pinch them off with your fingers.
• Use a small weight or weights to train the chosen sprout into the proper position as it grows.
• Better still, use a limb spacer or spreader to achieve the proper angle. You can make them yourself from thin strips of plastic or wood lath, cut to the desired length, and notched at both ends to hold them in place.

If a load of snow has bent the tree or shrub – this is usually the case with upright evergreen junipers and arborvitae – it is more easily repaired. Remove the snow, wrap some rope or soft twine around the plant, and tie it upright. If snow or ice cannot be removed without doing damage to the branches, leave it alone, pray that no more snow falls, then wrap the plant after snowmelt.

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FAQ: Can dwarf mondo be shipped and planted in winter?

Photo of Dwarf Mondo Grass bare root

Q. Is dwarf mondo in a dormant state to be able to be shipped and planted at this time of year or should I wait until spring?

A. Mondo is evergreen, so it never really goes dormant. It just grows slower in winter. It's a very tough plant, though, and can be planted any time of year - even in summer with adequate irrigation. You shouldn't have a problem planting now so long as you can get a shovel in the ground.  Be sure to water them in so soil will be in good contact with roots. 

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Alternatives To Rock Salt For Spreading On Ice And Snow? Sand And Kitty Litter.

Q. We've had unusually cold weather here in Georgia. I even had ice on my walk and driveway last week. I was afraid to scatter rock salt because I heard salt might damage my garden. Can you suggest any alternatives?

A. Spread sand or kitty litter. Neither will melt ice or snow, but they do provide rough surfaces for traction. Neither will harm your garden.

If you decide to use sand, purchase the kind that's used in children's sandboxes. It's coarser.

Kitty litter might be a better alternative. It's more readily available. Avoid clay-based kitty litter. It can get slippery when the ice melts. You can buy eco-safe kitty litter at most grocery and pet stores. It weighs much less than sand, so is easier to haul about. Kitty litter can deliver.

A friend of mine, who shall be known only as S.W. because he probably wishes to remain anonymous as an unsung hero, lives in Atlanta. He was stuck in traffic for many hours during Winter Storm Leon. The area was slick as a skating rink. Many roads were impassable. S.W. might have been delayed longer, but he stopped at a grocery store and bought all the eco-safe kitty litter he could. He got back on the road, scattered litter before him, returned to his car and drove forward, stopped, scattered more kitty litter and drove forward again. He was soon leading a long, slow parade of desperate commuters out of the icy mess.

Not surprisingly, all of S's followers ended up at his house. He treated them to refreshments until he got tired of them lingering.

The kernel of this story was related to me by a second party who demands to remain anonymous. I can't verify everything.

My advice to you is to keep kitty litter in your car and garage all winter long, and don't forget refreshments.

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How To Prepare Your Garden For The Winter

I believe you'll benefit from the following article by guest blogger, Julie Armstrong.

When you have a garden, you have to prepare it for each season. The spring planning and summer planning are normally the most straight forward. Planning your garden for winter is a bit harder for some as they are not sure what to do exactly. Below we will discuss what you can do to prepare for the winter months for your garden.

Before it gets too cold you need to harvest everything in your garden. This might be the garden vegetables that you have that are still growing. If it gets too cold, you will lose everything. Harvest it all before it is too late.

Prune anything in your garden for the winter months. This is best done in the late fall. Do not wait until spring as you will not get as much production out of things that are not properly pruned. This gets the plants ready to grow productively as soon as it is spring.

Do what you can to weed your garden. Remove anything that you do not want to be growing in the spring. If you wait too long, things will sprout up and cause problems in your garden during the spring. Getting it out now makes it much easier than waiting until things are growing more productively later.

Do what you can to work on your soil. Composting is a good practice for this since you will get healthy and productive soil. You can be making this all year long so it is always ready when you are going to plant. This will give your spring plants a huge advantage. Work on this during the winter.

You can still be growing something in your garden during the winter if you want to. You can use plastics, a green house, or even fish aquariums to help heat up the soil and make it warm enough to continue to grow fall plants even in the middle of winter. This is something to consider if you want to keep growing.

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Julie has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. She also publishes reviews of various consumer products.

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Snapshots Of Spring Gardens

 

Having spent far too much time at my computer trying to overcome "writer's block", I grabbed my camera and headed out for a walk.  Though my writing didn't improve, I gained a feeling of vitality that comes from sight, sound, touch, a cold face and runny nose.

(Perhaps a cup of verbena tea would have helped with the "block.")

Follow me to enjoy scenes from that early spring day.

  

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The Power Of Winter Aconite

Eranthis hyemalis - Winter Aconite

When crocuses bloom, another blossom joins them cheerfully declaring that spring is near. It's called Eranthis (pronounced "ee-RAN-thiss") or Winter Aconite. There are 8 species in the genus. Most are native to Asia, but only one is commercially popular and it, E. hyemalis (pronounced "hi-EM-ay-liss"), is native to woodlands in southern Europe from France to Bulgaria. Bright yellow blooms like buttercups en mass light up forest floors beneath bare arborical canopies.

But Eranthis has a dark history which it shares with an unrelated herb, Aconitum. Both are commonly called "Aconite" and "Wolfbane." Both are poisonous. The word "aconite" is from the Greek meaning "without dust", referring to the easy victory that an athletic champion might enjoy. Aconite, then, is invincible in its potency. The name, "wolfbane", refers to their former use in ridding the countryside of those fearsome beasts. Perhaps meat was laced with bits of tuber and left out as bait. As though this practical application was not enough, legend had it that aconite could also repel werewolves if carried in one's purse. Better still, the bearer could wrap a tuber in lizard skin and not be seen at all! Well, the dangerous properties of both aconites were also put to benevolent use as medicines. But, then as now, they were only to be used by trained medical professionals, licensed exterminators and people who had to walk home after dark.

One wonders, however, why Eranthis and Aconitum are both freely available as ornamental perennials. Clearly, it is because gardeners are gentle people, without malice, and do not associate with bad company.

Eranthis is superb for container and rock gardens, low bulb borders, and naturalizing. Don't expect a handful of tubers to make much of an impression; they should be planted in large quantities. Because all parts of the plant are toxic, be cautious if planting them where children may dig and nibble them.  Deer won't eat them.

Winter Aconite thrives in USDA climate zones 3 through 7, in full sun to partial shade. Plant in well-drained, humusy garden soil that is consistently moist.

Before preparing your planting site, take a sample of your garden soil to your local Cooperative Extension Service office. For a nominal fee, they will send the sample to a lab for analysis. The analysis will normally be sent to you through the mail. If the test results seem somewhat cryptic and difficult to understand, don't hesitate to call your County Agent for explanation.

Planting begins in September or October, depending upon your area. Unless you are naturalizing them in the lawn, prepare the planting bed by cultivating at least 6" deep, removing all traces of weeds. Though they like moist soil, Eranthis tubers do not like soggy conditions.

A fine all-around practice for bulbs and such is to mix 5 tablespoons of 10-10-10 fertilizer and 2 cups of bone meal per ten square feet area of bulb garden. Repeat the application when growth appears, but be careful that fertilizer does not come into direct contact with plant tissue.

Before planting, soak the tubers over-night in tepid water. Plant them 2" to 3" deep. Depth is measured to the bottom of the hole. Recommended plant spacing is 3". Unless snow or rain fall is inadequate, irrigation should not be necessary.

Eranthis requires very little maintenance. Plant them and forget about them. But they will chase winter away and brighten your days when you need it most.

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Thoughts Of Wintry Hellebore

Helleborus - Hellebore - Lenten Rose

A flower that appears in very cold weather is, understandably, an object of wonder.  It seems, also, that upon closer notice wonders never cease, inspiring awe and sometimes suspicion.

Helleborus (pronounced "hel-leh-BORE-us") is a fine example.  A member of the Ranunculaceae family, Helleborus is a genus of 20 species native to much of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and eastward to China.  The highest concentration can be found in southeastern Europe.  The common name is Hellebore (pronounced "HELL-uh-bore).  Other names given to various species include Christmas Rose, Lenten Rose, and Bear's-Foot.

The exact meaning of Helleborus appears to be a mystery, though I'm speculating that it might be derived from two Greek words, hellas meaning "Greece" and borrhas meaning "the north." It makes sense to me since Helleborus is concentrated in the Balkans.

Medicinal plants inspire awe and sometimes suspicion.  How is it that something possessing the power to heal may also possess the power to kill, at once beneficent and malignant?  Though known to be toxic, various hellebores have been used for many centuries for treatment of insanity, paralysis, gout, cardiac and respiratory ailments, as a diuretic and purgative.

Hellebores have been ascribed with symbolism in art, literature and lore.  In Loves Me, Loves Me Not: The Hidden Language of Flowers, Peter Loewer noted that "they were thought to have magical powers because they bloomed in very cold weather, and if blooms appeared before Christmas it presaged a bountiful year ahead.  Because the roots are not edible, they are thought to contain evil spirits, hence the darker meanings of scandal or slander."

Sydney Dobell (1824-1874), in Balder, mused of "hellebore, like a girl-murderess, green-eyed & sick with jealousy, & white with wintry thoughts of poison."

Finally, hellebores sometimes have the reputation of being very difficult to grow and suitable subjects for expert gardeners only.  Not so.  The most popular species in cultivation is H. orientalis and its hybrids.  Presently, most that are commercially available are simply named H. x hybridus plus whatever the name of the cultivar.  Because it is so easy to grow, the Perennial Plant Association named H. x hybridus the 2005 Perennial Plant of the Year.

Hybrid hellebores are cultivated as deciduous to evergreen ground cover perennials.  Plant height is up to 18".  Foliage is usually dark green and deeply lobed.  Flower colors range from light green or white to shades of pink or burgundy.

They thrive in partial to full shade in USDA climate zones 4 through 9 in slightly moist, well-drained, humusy soils with pH ranging from 6.1 to 7.8.  If exposed to direct sun at all, it should only be in the morning.  Hellebores will tolerate some drought once established.

Plant them in cottage gardens, naturalized in shade gardens and woodland settings where they combine well with ferns, Aquilegia, Convallaria and hostas.  Because of the long history of medicinal use, gardeners who collect medicinal plants often include them in their collections.  The rich history and symbolism are other reasons for growing them.

Again, it's important to note that all parts of Helleborus should be considered very toxic, so treat with appropriate caution.  On a positive note, hellebores are deer-resistant.

It is always a good idea to have your soil tested before cultivating and planting.  Carry a soil sample to your local Cooperative Extension Service office.  For a small fee, you will receive a report on mineral content and pH.

If soil is compacted, prepare the planting bed by cultivating at least 8" deep, removing all traces of weeds.  If the soil is high in organic matter and friable, it may not require cultivation.  Compost may be incorporated into the soil, if necessary.  Incorporate 5-10-15 fertilizer at a rate of no more 2 lbs. per 100 square feet into the top 4" to 6" of soil. Avoid synthetic fertilizers contacting any part of your plants.

Space the plants 12" to 18" apart. Dig planting holes into the cultivated soil a little less deep than the depth of the growing container. Place the plants into the holes and back-fill, watering as you go. Press soil around the root balls. Do not cover entirely the root balls with soil. The tops should be slightly exposed. Add a top-dressing of mulch around the plants, not on top of them, about 3" deep.

The garden inspires a sense of awe, wonder and sometimes solicitude; especially so with Helleborus in the shade.  Experience it.

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Texture of Bark and Branch

The day, cold and gray, seemed better suited for reading by the fire and sipping hot herb tea. But the salmon tufts of maple flowers caught my eye and drew me outdoors to see what other wonders I had barely noticed.

Of all seasons, winter is probably the least considered when planning the garden. Spring is exhuberant, Summer is fecund. Autumn is rich. But winter is introspective and offers us hidden things to ponder. The thoughtful gardener studies the possibilities and presents them artfully.

Bundled up, I ventured into a garden nearby. Low clouds and mist muffled the sounds of the city, and it suited my mood. So I walked slowly and carefully noted the texture of bark and branch. Share this photographic journey with me.
















Acer griseum in blue.

Acer palmatum var. dissectum Tamukeyama (above).

The white bark of Betula papifera (above).

The mosaic of Cornus florida (above).

Netted bark of Liriodendron tulipifera (above).
The tabula rasa that is Fagus grandifolia (below).

Expressionistic Platanus occidentalis (above).
The reptilian texture of Halesia diptera (below).

Thorny Aralia spinosa (above).
Acer palmatum Contorta (below).

Liquidambar styraciflua Corky (above).

Corylus avellana Contorta (below).

A tangle of Hydrangea anomala petiolaris against a tree (above).
Tracery of Schizophragma hydrangoides on a wall (below).

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