Preparing Shrubs for Wintertime
By the time winter arrives, you want to make sure that you’ve prepared your shrubs so that they survive the winter and are ready for the spring.
If you live in an area that’s been really dry through the summer your shrubs may already be under drought stress. By watering your shrubs and trees before they become completely dormant it can help them to be able to tolerate winter better, especially the winter winds that are extremely drying to the foliage and can make them turn brown.
You should analyze your overall landscape and identify the regions where your shrubs and trees are subject to continuous wind exposure. The best way to prevent this kind of damage is to put up some type of barrier in front of the plants that are at risk. Barriers can be made burlap or you can use a plastic/wooden snow fence. Doing this can significantly reduce damage to your shrubs.
You also need to protect the trees and shrubs that are in areas where snow accumulates over the winter such as your roof or from snow blowing. It might also be that the wind creates large snowdrifts. Ice can also create a problem ripping branches off the trees and shrubs. Once you identify these areas, you should create protection around these trees and shrubs to prevent the damage from occurring.
Always get a head start on preparing your shrubs for winter. After the leaves have fallen off your trees and shrubs, you’ll be able to spot problems that you may not have noticed with the foliage in place. Examine all of them! Now is the time to prune sever problems or deal with problems appropriately.
Fall is usually a good time for you to inspect your landscape plants and start to plan ahead to the kind of maintenance you’ll need to do in the spring. If you have areas of concern, don’t be afraid to call on the experts from a local tree care or landscape company.