Winter Shrub Damage You Should Avoid

Winter can be devastating for landscapes throughout North Carolina. While most live through and recover in the spring, some weather patterns can kill all your shrubs and trees if you’re not careful. Thankfully, proper tree and shrub care from Nature’s Select Sandhills can help you avoid these types of winter damage.

Broken Branches

During a winter snowstorm, ice and snow quickly accumulate on the leaves and branches of your greenery. All that extra weight can snap weak or smaller branches off the main stems. Unfortunately, this damage changes the look of your bushes, leaving you with jagged limbs and lawn debris. The best way to prevent this damage is to remove these weaker points before the winter storm. But if you find yourself in damage control mode, you’ll have to wait until the end of winter to prune back the broken limbs.

Salt Burn

Winter de-icing salts and road runoff are notorious for causing damage to trees and shrubs along roadways and sidewalks. The salt eats away at the bark and compacts the soil around the roots. Once the soil compacts, essential nutrients, oxygen, and water can’t flow, and the trees and bushes end up starving for crucial elements. The best thing you can do for your trees and bushes exposed to de-icing salts is to water them well in the spring. Additionally, you should avoid piling salt-saturated snow around the base of trees and shrubs.

Frost Damage

If you’ve planted a new bush, or a tree is sprouting a new branch before the winter, it’s more likely to experience frost damage. Frost significantly impacts the new growth, causing branches and leaves to turn an ugly brown or grey color. Once the snow and ice begin to melt away in the spring, this damage is evident, leaving many homeowners bewildered on what to do. To prevent frost damage, avoid pruning or pushing new growth in late autumn. 

Professional Tree and Shrub Care

If you are meticulous about your lawn care, then you might be pleased to know that Nature’s Select Sandhills is equally meticulous about your tree and shrub care. This includes preparing them for a winter storm, helping them recover in the spring, and protecting them from pests and disease. We also have an entire care program dedicated to boxwoods. So, if you live in or around Sandhills, NC, give us a call at (910) 757-0359.