Question: We’ve had a lot of snow this winter and it’s piled up along the drive and walkway. Are all these snow banks going to damage my trees and shrubs?
Although Connecticut seems like the new arctic right now, spring is just around the corner (at least I hope so). With all the snow piled up from this season there are some preventative measures you can take to help your trees and shrubs get a healthy start to the growing season before the snow melts.
The Problem With Snow Banks
First, a good majority of the snow banks that are pushed up against your trees have large amounts of salt, sand or de-icing chemicals in them. As the snow melts, all these chemicals will leach into the soil and can poison your trees and shrubs.
Younger trees and shrubs are at a higher risk than mature trees since the roots are contained in a smaller area. In most cases, this results in salt damage, which stresses the tree but probably won’t kill it. However, in high concentrations the chemicals can kill your trees and shrubs.
Second, large mounds of snow piled up against trees and shrubs will start to melt and turn into blocks of heavy ice. As the spring melt progresses, these piles will get lower and lower. If there are branches encapsulated in the snow bank then all of this weight will break them. This is more common with evergreens and shrubs since they have branches from ground level up.
Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Landscape
This is the time to break up those snow banks left from plowing, particularly those that are around young trees and shrubs. Move the snow elsewhere so as it melts the runoff will flow away from the tree.
Focus on snow that was removed from walkways and paved surfaces where deicers were used. Clean snow melting off will not pose any chemical risk to your landscape.
Also look at runoff areas from paved surfaces. If all the melt water is going to flow towards your tress and shrubs look at redirecting the flow. You can buy sand bags or long socks full of sand from a hardware store or you can literally fill an old sock with sand. Lay them on the ground to direct melt off away from trees.
Take note of melt off flow this spring. If it’s problematic then change where snow is piled next season. It’s best if you can keep these piles away from trees and shrubs and down hill from them. This way, it will leach these chemicals away and make for a much healthier landscape.
As the ground thaws start a weekly watering regimen for a month or so. This may seem strange given that the ground is already wet but it will help to flush salt and chemicals from the ground and ensure healthy trees and shrubs for spring.
For more information, see our article on salt damage to trees.
Question: During the cold winter months, when temperatures dip well below freezing, what prevents trees (and shrubs) from turning into a giant icicle?
Question: My trees make all kinds of popping and cracking sounds during really cold winter weather. What’s all that racket??
Here in Connecticut we face a whole range of threats to our trees and shrubs during winter, both from the weather itself and from animal pests. Here are just a few of the things that can injure your plants during the cold months of winter:
Fall is the perfect time to help your trees recover from the heat and lack of water they probably experienced over the summer. Stressed trees are more susceptible to pests, disease, and winter damage so now’s the time to make sure your trees enter the harsh winter months in the best health possible.
This is the quintessential New England tree and one of the most common maples in Connecticut, where hillsides of them turn gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow in autumn. These are the maples from which maple syrup is made (a grove of sugar maples that have been tapped to collect sap is referred to as a sugar bush). Sugar maples grow up to 75 feet tall and 40 feet wide. If your yard can’t handle that, consider other kinds of maples that also have strikingly colorful leaves in fall, including vine maple (Acer circinatum), native to the Northwest, and the smaller Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). Avoid invasive types, including Amur (Acer ginnala) and Norway (Acer platanoides) maples.
Gingkos put on a spectacular yellow show in fall. Considered living fossils because they are the last survivors of tree varieties that grew worldwide 270 million years ago, gingkos are related to conifers but have fan-shaped leaves rather than needles. The leaves resemble those of the maidenhair fern, thus the common name: maidenhair tree. Trees often have an umbrella shape and can grow 80 feet tall, though many stay only half that height. I’d suggest planting a male ginko tree as the fruit of the female trees give off a strong smell that many find unpleasant.
Despite its name, this small tree bears bright pinkish-purple spring flowers directly on the branches before its heart-shaped leaves appear. Most varieties turn yellow in autumn; the eastern redbud ‘Forest Pansy’ is one of the few with reddish-purple fall foliage. In winter, long mahogany seed pods cling to bare branches. The eastern redbud is more common and adaptable than the western natives (Cercis occidentalis and Cercis canadensis mexicana), though the latter are very drought tolerant. Due to its varied seasonal interest and its ability to grow in light shade, redbud provides a great contrast next to evergreens. Eastern kinds grow to 35 feet; western types to about half that.
With dainty branches that become dense with rounded leaves, katsuras make great shade trees all summer, then put on a show of yellow or pinkish yellow in fall. Around the time leaves fall, the tree produces a fragrance that some call spicy; others compare it to brown sugar. Most katsuras have a pyramid shape when young but over time may become as wide as they are tall (up to 60 feet). There are also weeping forms, such as ‘Amazing Grace,’ that look particularly beautiful when the branches are bare in winter. 
Also known as smoketree, this plant can be allowed to grow as a shrub or be pruned as a small tree. Small yellow flowers open in June. As they fade, long stalks with fuzzy pink hairs spring out, creating the impression that the plant is surrounded by purple to pinkish-tan smoke. These fade away by fall, when the leaves turn yellow or orange-red. ‘Royal Purple’ has purple foliage that turns scarlet red; ‘Ancot’ has lime-green leaves that go orange.
Black tupelo is one of the least known trees in Connecticut, probably because it tends to grow in, or bordering, wet areas in remote areas. It does make a wonderful shade tree though and is well worth planting. Known for its spectacular fall foliage, the Black Tupelo can contain many shades of color on the same branch. Frequent colors seen on the leaves of this autumn beauty include yellow, orange, bright red, purple, and scarlet. This tree also bears fruit that birds like and will grow up to 50’ tall.
Often confused with a maple tree because of the similar-looking leaves, sweet gum’s star-shape leaves turn a kaleidoscope of colors in fall, including red, orange, and burgundy — giving the landscape a carnival feel at season’s end. Sweet gum trees also produce a spine-covered, hard fruit (called a sweet gum ball) in fall that many homeowners find annoying when they drop all over the ground. It’s probably best to plant this beautiful tree away from driveways, decks, and walkways.
Scarlet oaks are a symbol of strength and beauty here in Connecticut with their 60 to 80 foot canopies. While the leaves on most oak trees simply turn brown or yellowish in autumn, the leaves of Scarlet Oak are one of the most colorful contributors to the fall foliage display, turning bright red before falling. Aside from the brilliant fall color, you’ll also recognize scarlet oak by the more narrow and sharply pointed leaves.
I hesitate to add burning bush to this list because it’s classified as an invasive plant here in Connecticut (meaning that it’s illegal to propagate, plant, or transport it). Still, if you already have one of these large shrubs (it can grow to 15 feet tall) in your yard, you’ll appreciate the magnificent fiery red fall foliage. Just be sure to keep it in check with frequent pruning and, if you can, prevent it from bearing fruit (or cut off the berries before they ripen) as these are easily spread by birds.
As the weather has cooled, demand for high quality, well-seasoned firewood has heated up.