With the recent snow, like us at Chopwell, you may be dreaming of a White Christmas. We will have to wait and see whether the cold continues or if more snow arrives later in the month. At the moment, the view from my window is the perfect White Christmas scene.
Look a bit closer and you may notice your trees, hedges and shrubs are suffering, bent out of shape by the weight of snow on branches and leaves. This particularly affects evergreens with a more open habit. Dense conifers end up with a layer of snow on top and the rest of the plant unaffected, whereas other evergreens such as Mahonia, Bay or any non-coniferous may have snow lying on every branch pushing them downwards, and straining the plant. Very dense snow can also damage the branches of deciduous trees and shrubs.
The solution is simple, when you have a moment, pop out and check. Tap the tree to make the snow fall and release your plants from their snowy burden.
If you forgot to get your tender plants inside in time, you will have probably lost them due to the cold, damp and windy conditions. If you brush the snow off them and bring them inside they may recover in the spring, but it is a long shot.
Apart from clearing paths and knocking snow off plants there is really not much you can do at the moment in the garden. However, if you value your wildlife, providing food and water will help your birds and small animals survive this bitter weather. Your local supermarket or garden centre will have appropriate food for the local wildlife.
Here at Chopwell we are counting down the days until Christmas, and all of us wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
