Don’t you hate it when your wife comes home and starts nagging, “What’s that wire hanging on our front porch?”
I had an explanation prepared for her.
There were some massive icicles hanging from our gutter. I thought I would hit them with the snow shovel to knock them down. It’s a wonder I wasn’t killed. Parts of my downspouts came tumbling down along with some very heavy ice.
How did I know that the ice had formed around a speaker wire I had put up? It looked sort of pretty when the wire broke and a large piece of ice was dangling on the wire in mid-air. I hit it a few times like it was a piñata, but nothing happened. I finally got a pair of scissors and cut the wire, leaving part of the wire dangling.
She then informed me that the guys on TV said don’t try to remove the icicles from your gutter. The whole gutter may come down with the ice.
Now she tells me.
You may say, “Now he tells me,” after you read this article.
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been snowing — a lot. Snow has been piling up on your shrubs and you have not been able to get to them to remove the heavy white stuff.
Here are a few basic rules for snow on shrubs.
If the shrub is deciduous, (that means all the leaves have fallen off for the winter), just leave them alone. You may do more harm than good swatting at them.
Conifers (shrubs that are shaped like an upside-down ice cream cone) can be left alone also. Sometimes little birdies like to snuggle up in there when the temps get real low, so leave them alone. These plants will shape up on their own, once the snow melts, sometime in late July.
Yews and some low-growing evergreens also can be left alone. My yews were almost spread down to the side walk until the snow started to melt. They have bounced back already.
Mugo pines, arborvitae, azaleas and rhododendrons should have the snow removed before they bust the limbs. The snow won’t kill the plants, but their shape may be ruined.
I think snow is what ruined my shape.
The experts say never remove snow from shrubs with a shovel, baseball bat or a jack hammer. (I added the jackhammer part.)
The weapon of choice is a broom. Place it gently under the snow and patiently lift the snow off the shrub. You should start at the bottom.
I notice some of the snow has turned to ice and is connected to the shrub. Let this melt. If you try to remove it, you will remove the branch also. I know, I tried.
Your shrubs should bounce back into shape once the thaw comes. Arborvitae could be the exception and may need tied back into shape.
I have to thank my neighbor, Paul, for suggesting this article. He informed me it was his fault we got all this snow in the first place. After 44 years of bachelorhood, he decided to get engaged, which unleashed the heavens.
I’m sorry to inform my other neighbor Mike that neither he nor I are going to be in the wedding. It’s probably because I can’t genuflect.
Make your space a green space.
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GREENSPACE: Forget shovels, jackhammers for shrub snow removal
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