As the country begins taking stock of the damage caused by hurricane Ophelia and works to restore power to much of Scotland and Northern England, gardeners throughout the country are lamenting the destruction of their gardens.
24.07.2023 - 12:27 / hgic.clemson.edu
Evergreen trees and shrubs are prone to unsightly damage from winter storms. They can be splayed open like a blooming onion or flattened like a pancake by the weight of heavy snow or ice loads. Damaged shrubs sometimes resurrect themselves in a matter of days or weeks; other times, they require severe pruning and a long restoration period. Fortunately, diligent gardeners can take a few actions to prevent serious damage.
The first strategy is to start out right! Many conical evergreens – such as magnolias, cedars, junipers, and some hollies – tend to develop multiple stems or trunks. This results in weak branches at the shrub’s base, which can allow the plant to split apart in a storm. Avoid this problem in the beginning by only selecting new plants that have a single main stem and avoid plants with multiple leaders altogether. Once the plant is in your landscape, prevent this problem from developing when it is young by simply pruning out any stem, other than the main trunk, that is growing in a strong vertical direction, i.e., competing with the central stem. By doing this early, the main stem will become dominant, and your work is essentially complete since single-stemmed trees and shrubs are less likely to suffer storm damage.
Another method, requiring less foresight but equally successful, is to lightly tie-up the plant before the storm. This simple measure could be the difference between minor damage and complete shrub restoration. With a roll of twine (preferably a biodegradable product like jute), tie the loose end around a stem near the plant’s base. From there, loosely wrap the twine around and gradually up the bush, until about three-fourths of the plant is encircled. At that point, secure the twine to the end of
As the country begins taking stock of the damage caused by hurricane Ophelia and works to restore power to much of Scotland and Northern England, gardeners throughout the country are lamenting the destruction of their gardens.
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