Skip to main content
 
Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Tip of the Week — 1/12/09

Posted in Gardening Tips on January 12 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Winter Wonderland

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.

Beneson Conifer CollectionThe Garden looks like a winter wonderland when it snows. The quiet and calm of the white landscape is deceptive. The aftermath of a storm causes us to scurry around shaking the snow off hedges and prized evergreen shrubs as well as clearing paths and benches.

The yew hedge that delineates the perennial garden struggles under the weight of wet snow. Brooms and rakes (not shovels) are used to gently remove the snow. The snow blowers are instructed to point their machines away from the hedge to minimize unnecessary damage. When removing snow in your own home gardens, push upward with the broom rather than downward to minimize pressure. Remember not to use hedges and foundation borders as dump sites for excess snow.

Snow acts as an excellent insulator during the cold winter months. Small plants can remain covered, but larger or more fragile plants need to be shaken off to ensure that their branches are not disfigured or broken by the weight of the snow.

If you have a narrow, upright conifer (such as an arborvitae) that you are worried will lose its shape, tie susceptible branches with nylon tree ties or arbor ties that you can purchase at a garden center. If you are curious to see how this is done, come and inspect the small arborvitae located at the Fountain of Life in front of the library building. We carefully tie these trees in November. An alternative solution is to place a stake at the back of the tree and loosely wrap garden twine around the tree and stake starting at the bottom and moving upward. This can also be done without a stake by simply attaching the twine to the trunk of the tree and winding the twine around the branches.

These simple yet important steps are taken to ensure that the landscape of the Garden is not only beautiful but also well maintained throughout the winter and into the spring. They are easy for you to do in your own home gardens.