Hello; last fall we put in 2 boxwoods and 2 burning bushes. All were fairly small; 18 inches tall or so. Two months later we got more snow than I think we've had since '86 - by mid Jan. we had more than 3 feet, and in our north front yard it stayed FOREVER. We didn't remove it from the bushes because we assumed it was providing insulation; oops.

On the boxwoods it killed some central branches, and blistered some of the leaves. I trimmed out the dead wood, and they put on some new growth, but I don't know how or when to prune them to encourage them to fill in.

The burning bushes got what my nursery told me was snow mold; the leaves are a bit distorted (curled sideways) and are ashen (not like mildew, but just more gray than they should be). I pulled off damaged leaves and sprayed with immunox, which seemed to perk them up. However, they have returned to their pre treated state somewhat. What can I do? Also, how hard can I prune these - the one has three scraggly looking branches, and I'd like to encourage a more shapely habit.

This winter I plan to keep the snow off of them, and protect them from wind with burlap if necessary. Does this sound about right?

Thanks, sorry for the long post.

Lara