How to Protect Your Plants from Snow – A Complete Guide

When cold weather and snowstorms hit, it’s crucial to take steps to protect your outdoor plants. An accumulation of snow can damage or even kill vegetation if you’re not prepared. While a light dusting of snow is harmless, heavy, wet snow can wreak havoc on your garden. Newly planted seedlings, container plants, shrubs, trees and cold-sensitive perennials are especially vulnerable. With some advance planning and simple protective measures, you can help your plants survive the winter. This comprehensive guide will provide useful tips to shield your plants from snow damage.

Assess Your Plants’ Vulnerability

Not all plants need special protection from snow. To determine which plants are at highest risk, inspect each one and consider the following factors:

• Plant type – Newly planted seeds, seedlings, container plants, small shrubs and immature trees are more prone to damage. Established, mature plants are generally hardier.

• Plant structure – Plants with tall, top-heavy growth habits like bananas and cannas are susceptible to toppling under heavy snow. Plants with brittle branches like rhododendrons are also at risk.

• Leaf shape – Broadleaf evergreen plants like ferns retain moisture easily and suffer from desiccation. Plants with needle-like leaves like cedars shed snow more readily.

• Hardiness – Tropical plants, summer annuals and less hardy perennials are more cold-sensitive. Hardy perennials trees and shrubs can withstand colder temperatures.

• Location – Plants under eaves that stay dry or exposed to winds are more prone to winter injury. Sheltered moist areas offer more protection.

Once you’ve evaluated each plant, focus your efforts on protecting the most vulnerable ones. Hardy, established plants probably don’t need any special attention

Prepare Plants in Advance

Take proactive steps before snow arrives to get plants ready:

• Water plants well 1-2 days prior to a snowstorm. Moist soil retains heat better than dry soil.

• Apply a winterizing spray like Wilt-Pruf® to broadleaf evergreens to prevent moisture loss.

• Move container plants close to the house or into a protected garage or enclosed porch.

• Wrap the bases of shrubs and trees with burlap to protect from gnawing by rodents hiding under snow banks.

• Place evergreen boughs, winter mulch or leaves around the base of plants for insulation.

• Prune dead wood, trim broken branches and stake tall plants to prevent breakage.

Advance planning gives plants and soil the best chance of surviving cold snaps. Monitor forecasts and don’t wait until the last minute to take protective steps.

Provide Physical Barriers

When snow is in the forecast, add physical barriers to shield plants:

For individual plants:

• Invert large plastic buckets or sturdy bushel baskets over tender plants.

• Drive stakes around plants and drape burlap, frost blankets or tarps to make a tent.

• Use old blankets, drop cloths, cardboard or burlap as impromptu covers. Weigh down with stones.

For raised beds:

• Cover with greenhouse plastic, old sheets or frost blankets.

• Erect temporary wooden frames and staple plastic sheeting to the sides.

• Add extra mulch like straw or pine needles to provide a thick insulating layer.

For trees and shrubs:

• Tie flexible stakes or twine in a criss-cross pattern around branches to prevent breakage.

• Wrap trunks of young trees with a protective barrier like tree wrap.

For container plants:

• Group together in a sheltered area and cover with garden fabric or plastic.

• Move into an unheated garage or porch if possible.

Get creative with materials you already have on hand to fashion protective enclosures. Even basic covers make a difference.

Maintain Snow Coverage

Counterintuitively, leaving snow in place once it accumulates can actually benefit some plants:

• Snow acts as insulation, protecting roots and crowns from hard freezes. Don’t remove snow unless absolutely necessary.

• Compacted snow on evergreen boughs can cause breakage. Carefully brush off heavy snow, especially on weakly branched plants.

• For flower buds buried in snow, poke small holes in the snow to allow oxygen to penetrate rather than removing entirely.

• Don’t knock snow off shrubs or trees if it will expose plants to harsh wind chill. Snow trapped against stems often refreezes into ice and damages bark.

• Remove snow mounds at the base of trees and shrubs to discourage small critters from burrowing and feeding on plant tissue under cover.

Manage snow strategically. Leaving some intact can be helpful, while removing overburdened snow prevents long-term damage. Monitor plants throughout winter storms and make adjustments as needed.

Provide Extra Winter Care

Vigilant winter maintenance gives plants a leg up on cold stress:

• Check for desiccation on evergreens after a snowstorm. Damaged leaves won’t recover but you can save the rest of the plant by watering damaged areas.

• Reapply winterizing sprays if a stretch of warmer weather melts snow, exposing plants again.

• Prune broken limbs or branches damaged under the weight of snow immediately to prevent disease. Make clean cuts just above buds.

• Refresh mulch around plants if it gets saturated. Thick, dry layers insulate better.

• Remove burlap or other coverings on sunny days to prevent overheating. Vent plastic covers or cold frames to allow fresh air circulation on milder days.

• Monitor soil moisture after snow melts. Supplement with additional water if rainfall was insufficient.

Don’t neglect plants after snow disappears – wind desiccation and temperature fluctuations can still threaten plants emerging from under snow cover.

Be Prepared for Next Time

Learn from each snowfall to improve protections for the future:

• Note which plant varieties fared poorly and replace with hardier, more snow-resistant options.

• Plan to stake floppy growth habits earlier next season.

• Stock up on off-season sale items that can be repurposed, like frost blankets and plastic sheeting.

• Designate a covered area like a garage or porch for overwintering container plants.

• Consider planting in raised beds for better drainage after heavy snowfall.

• Install permanent structures such as hoop houses over vulnerable garden areas.

Adaptability is key to effective winter plant protection. Observe how your existing strategies held up and make changes to be even better prepared for next year.

With some forethought and vigilant care, even vulnerable gardens can survive cold snaps. Follow these tips to help safeguard your plants from snow damage. A bit of extra effort goes a long way to ensure your plants live to see another growing season.