How to Clean Up Your Landscape After a Winter Storm…
Quick Note: This was posted after that rough winter storm in 2012 but these questions and concerns come up after every damaging winter storm. Hopefully, we don’t have this kind of storm damage this winter!
During the holiday season of 2012, we had bad winter storm that wreaked havoc on Central Arkansas landscapes! Small trees like hollies, crape myrtles, and Japanese maples, shrubs such as boxwoods, azaleas and roses as well as large trees were all greatly affected. So what was the best approach to address the issues? Take some time to find out how best to prune damaged plants to keep recover times shorter! Specific suggestions are under each image, and at the end of this post, there are more general points to consider.
This crape myrtle is one of the lucky ones; it has been split near a fork. We have drawn a red line to indicate where to prune this tree. Cut it at an angle as shown so that water won’t stay on the pruned surface. There are several schools of though on whether to apply pruning paint; after damage like this, paint might be helpful to keep water out of the cut you make. The reason it could help now is that this is a fresh cut, and we have been experiencing very cool temperatures so the chances of ‘sealing’ in an insect or disease are minimal. This is not true for pruning performed in warmer weather or on plants that have or are near diseased or insect infested plant materials. The pruning paint may or may not really help the plant but at this time of year, it shouldn’t harm anything.
This crape myrtle tree was not so lucky as it split in the middle of the fork, damaging the entire cane. This can needs to be cut off at an angle at the soil level. As shoots emerge from this cut in the spring, allot one one dominant can to grow, trimming off all others. This can take awhile but long term, the integrity of the tree will recover.
Many shrubs look like this…somewhat split, and a branch or two sticking out oddly. Sort of like a really bad hair day! Prune off twisted or split limbs and wait until later in the year to do more pruning. For both camellias, the correct pruning time is after they bloom, for this sasanqua variety that will mean late winter or early spring. Wait until it’s really time to prune before you do any drastic re-shaping. For now, just cut the obviously affected limb, shown here by the red line. Over the next year, damage from this storm will continue to show up, with random branches that were pulled down and twisted in different directions unable to sustain growth. These plants may look fine until summer hits, so expect to see more damage that needs tending by June.
The same principles for the camellia are true for this boxwood. However, if you have shrubs that still have heavy snow on them, you can gently try to remove it. Keep in mind that some of the branches can be very brittle so move them carefully. The longer the plant stays in this awkward position, the more likely it is that it won’t regain its original shape. As broken branches are discovered, prune them off. In mid-February, trim the plant back pretty hard, fertilize in March and watch them flush out all spring! For many of these shrubs, you will never be able to guess they were so damaged just months before!
Now, there are exceptions! This is an arborvitae that was about six feet tall and has completely bent over. Even though the multiple trunks have not broken, it is unlikely to regain its original shape and won’t respond well to heavy pruning, as that will damage its natural shape. For something like this, you should consider removing the plant and starting over.
This holly has bent over much like the arborvitae and much like the arborvitae, it will never be the same. Yes, you can try to bend it back, stake it, tie it, and baby it, but it won’t ever be the same because the foliage won’t grow back in and fill it out right. On large plants like this, it can up to a year for the the plant to start declining or it can be as instant as a total defoliation as the summer heats up.
We see this a lot too; where part of a hedge or part of a row of screening materials is damaged. In order for this to properly recover, prune it back heavily in the lat winter so that as it grows out, the plants will be similar in size. Remove any broken or habitually bent over limbs in the meantime, and don’t forget to fertilize in the early spring.
The split main trunk on this small ornamental tree is down so close to the ground that it allows for no salvaging.
Maybe your recognize the background here; this is a holly on the front of our building. Although you may not recognize it since it is now 50% smaller than it was a week ago! The tree has one main trunk out of the ground that then splits off into several larger branches. We will remove the broken branch just above where it splits of the main trunk, prune the tree heavily in late winter or early spring, fertilize and hopefully watch it recover all season long!
Winter 2017 Update: Take a look at how well this holly recovered!
The moral of this story is that our landscape plant have been aesthetically compromised, some to the point of no return and some that will recover if you are willing to do a little pruning and have some patience. Remember that these plants could look poorly for a few years or even show unexpected damage and decline. Uprooted trees and shrubs have about a 50/50 chance of surviving if they have been out of the ground for more than a couple of days and you may need a tree company to correctly stake and recover them. Compare the cost of time and labor against the cost of plant replacement when trying to figure out how to move forward. As with all garden and landscape related questions, we will help you as best we can, just email us your photos and we will make suggestions.