12 Smart Ways to Shield Your Garden from Heavy Snow

For gardeners in colder climates winter’s beauty comes with a challenge – protecting plants from heavy snow. While a light dusting looks magical on evergreens and bushes feet of dense snow can crush and smother many plants. Preparing your landscape ahead of time and taking preventive measures allows you to enjoy winter’s wonder while safeguarding your garden.

Assess Vulnerable Plants

• Survey your yard to identify fragile trees, shrubs, and perennials at risk from heavy, wet snow. Focus protection efforts here first.
• Soft, bushy plants like arborvitae and hydrangeas are more prone to damage. Also protect grafted trees and any plants with weak branching.

Provide Sturdy Staking and Supports

• Install staking around shrubs and trees in fall to reinforce branching and prevent breakage from snow weight.
• Use bamboo stakes, metal posts, twine, and stretchable plant tape to gently but firmly support vulnerable plants.

Tie Branches Together

• Where possible, tie flexible branches of bushes and conifers into a conical or tepee shape before snow falls. This sheds snow better.
• Use soft plant ties or old pantyhose pieces – anything that won’t cut into stems when wet.

Temporarily Stake Down Large Plants

• For very bushy or top-heavy plants, drive stakes into soil around the base and loosely secure branches to prevent complete flattening.
• Just be cautious not to over-pull branches from their natural shape.

Wrap Shrubs in Burlap or Mesh

• Burlap and plastic mesh create a protective barrier between plants and heavy snow. Wrap loosely around the entire shrub.
• Make sure the material is breathable – solid sheeting traps moisture and promotes rot.

Shield with DIY Wood Frames

• Build basic A-frame structures around vulnerable bushes using scrap wood and securely anchor into ground before it snows.
• The angled frame causes snow to slide off rather than pile on plants.

Add Insulating Mulch Around Roots

• A 4-6 inch blanket of shredded leaves, straw, or evergreen boughs over the soil insulates roots from freeze and thaw cycles.
• This protects roots and prevents heaving of newly planted trees and shrubs.

Weigh Down Flat Plants Before Storms

• Lay bird netting or landscape fabric over struggling plants like arborvitae and secure edges with stones before snow falls.
• The light material captures snow before it flattens plants but allows sunlight through once snow melts.

Cover Small Plants with Cloches

• Invert large plastic nursery pots, cloches, pails, or wire mesh cages over vulnerable perennials and groundcovers to bear snow’s weight.
• Just remove any covers during sunny breaks to prevent overheating.

Protect Grafts with Insulating Mounds

• Wrap grafted fruit trees with burlap then mound leaves, compost, or mulch over the graft union to insulate from whipping winds and freeze-thaw cycles.

Monitor and Remove Snow Promptly

• After heavy snow, check on plants and gently sweep off excess once snow lightens. Don’t let piles sit and crush.
• Avoid knocking snow onto other plants and causing damage. Work carefully around each plant.

Allow Plants Time to Rebound

• Don’t assume winter-damaged plants are goners. Give them time to recover once spring arrives before pruning dead branches.
• Prune only minimally to shape plants. Avoid drastic pruning until new growth emerges.

A little forethought, strategic protection, and attentive snow removal keeps your garden intact despite winter weather. With smart planning, your yard will sparkle all winter long and reawaken gracefully come spring.