I trust these photos of before and after the Mid-Atlantic's "Snowmagedden" will tug at the hearts of gardeners in all climates and maybe provide a teachable moment for homeowners in wintery places. In the "before" shot you see the now-ruined 'Little Gem' magnolia on the left and one of the now-ruined Foster hollies on the right. (In between are some acuba, damage unknown but they'll bounce back from anything.) They're all technically my neighbors' but visually they're very much in my garden. And another heavy snowfall predicted for mid-week? NO COMMENT (at least none that's family-friendly).
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I feel your pain. Although I'm not fighting my way through the snow drifts to examine more closely, right now there are branches (including a bird house) touching the ground that I didn't think were that 'agile'. My old azaleas may be rejuvenated after this winter. A seasoned Master Gardener has been telling me to cut them back and take my chances. I think it has been done for me. The people shoveling our difficult driveway have thrown an additional two feet of heavy snow over the bushes that were already buried.
Oh! How sad! I am so sorry for your loss of these beautiful treasures. I too have seen beloved trees and shrubs split into from the weight of snow and ice. Hopefully the snow you are expecting will not do more damage!
Oh Susan, I'm so sorry to see this.
We had damage last year in the ice storm, but nothing that didn't recover, thankfully. You guys really got pounded. And yeah, there's another on the way. Will be here tomorrow night. Hopefully, it won't live up to the hype.
I'm on the Virginia side of the Metro area, and WOW, we sure did take a pounding. I had my husband go out to knock off snow as it was still falling on Friday evening, because we have a gorgeous Japanese Maple near our front door that I couldn't bare to see ruined. It appears to be unscathed so far, but in the back of our property we've got Holly Shrubs and Pieris Japonicas all bent over too, and my fear is that they will snap like yours.
So sorry, especially about the Magnolia 'cause I love those trees.
Snow can be so beautiful and destructive. The arborists in your town will be very busy in the weeks to come. Hopefully, some creative pruning will get these plants back into shape.
I too, had the top three feet of my Little Gem Magnolia snap. I just wasn't quick enough to get the snow off of it. I've done some research around the internet to see if anyone else has experienced this type of snow damage to their magnolia and could describe how it grew back. Any ideas? Mine is the focal point of my front yard, so I am pretty devestated and feel your pain.
I feel your pain! We too lost some plants – some loved, others not, but still, it is a loss. I blogged about the damage in my own garden and also linked to a Washington Post article with tips on how to deal with the storm damage:
http://2greenacres.blogspot.com/2010/02/snowmegddon-garden-damage.html
I have always been deligent about keeping snow and ice off my special trees and shrubs. I live in Maryland and these snow storms are just knocking the heck out of the plantings. I thought I would cry when I found two of my japanese maples have split. You can usually drill a pilot hole through the trunk and put a long bolt with washers on each end through it, while bringing each piece of the trunk closer. Then tape with the green tape landscapers use. You want to do this as soon as you see the split. The cambian layers can grow back together (sometimes). I have been successful with this, but in the summer months after a fierce thunderstorm. The problem with doing it in the winter, it that it is so cold the tree may just snap. Shrubs are resilient, but a Japanese maple and holly are slow growing. It takes a long, long time to get them to fill back in, when they lose a limb. And they lose their beautiful form, you worked so hard creating by regular pruning. Ice is the worst! And right now it is snowing AGAIN and we are going to get sleet. Good luck! Think SPRING!!!!!!!!!
I know exactly how this feels, as I have holly trees that have snapped in half just like this…I am disgusted about it. I still can't get out to clean up the mess though as there is over 2 ft. of snow on the ground here in northern Virginia.
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