This past week has kept many of us busy with the snow shovels and snowblowers clearing the latest snowfall.

Snow can be very helpful as it is Mother Nature’s blanket and covers the earth and protects bulbs, perennials, and shrub and tree roots, underneath the ground, from the freezing temperatures. It is also very helpful in the spring as it melts and moistens the soil and helps plants to grow. Keep this in mind, when you are shovelling snow, if there are large trees in the landscape. Quite often there is not a lot of snow under the large trees as it accumulates on the top tree branches. Shovelling snow under the tree in the bare areas will help get rid of the snow as well as provide moisture to the trees roots in the spring.

Too much snow can harm trees and shrubs by bending and breaking branches. This is one of the reasons why trees such as cedars are wrapped with twine, netting or burlap. If they are not wrapped the heavy snow gets caught in the branches and bends the branch down, and then even more snow gets caught on the already bent branch, causing the branch to lose its shape or possibly break. If there is snow building up on branches, it is important to remove the snow as quickly as possible. Try not to touch them when temperatures are well below freezing because the foliage becomes brittle and will break. Wait till the temperatures are just around freezing or above, and then use a broom and sweep the snow off the branches in an upward motion. Do this carefully as you don’t want to cause any more damage by removing the snow. Also be careful when shovelling snow from walkways and driveways, that you are not piling it on top of trees and shrubs whose branches can be damaged.

Sometimes branches break or split and this can be caused by heavy snow, machinery or local wildlife. These should be repaired as soon as you can get to it to prevent even more injury to the tree or shrub. If the branch is severely torn with no hope of restoring it, it should be cut off properly. You want to get rid of the ragged edges by cutting the wounded branch back to the nearest healthy branch or the main trunk. The cut should be smooth and flush with the trunk or tree crotch and all the ragged edges should be smoothed by using as sharp knife. To further help save the tree/shrub from disease, decay or winter weather, pruning paste can be applied to the open wound to help seal it. When the temperatures are above freezing ‘Lac Balsam’ can be used. This is an artificial bark that is used during spring/summer pruning. If the branch is slightly damaged it may not need to be removed. It can possibly be saved by immediately tying it back to the tree using a rope or jute. Never use wire as this will cause more damage to the tree.

As you are shovelling the snow, don’t forget to stop and admire the landscape. Snow can add to the beauty and create a winter wonderland as it sits on the branches of trees and shrubs. This is a good time to see whether you might want to add a few trees or shrubs to add further winter interest to the landscape. Trees and shrubs are the foundation of a landscape and add year round interest. Take a few pictures of the yard this time of year so that in the spring you can remember where you want to make some changes. Prince George landscapes tend to be covered in snow for a few months so you want to make them as attractive in the winter as they are in the summer!

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Hme and Garden Centres in Prince George:

• Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road