Right after posting the above, I talked to a friend in Massachusetts. . .well,
I guess the joke's on me! The snow was a "non-event" for you folks. . .but
I know a conspiracy when I see one, and I just want to thank all of you Yankee's
for sending this "Yankee-in-exile" a stellar example of one of your brutal
Nor'easters. . . : )

Carl

Tis "my pleasure" to send you 1 of our "brutal Nor'easters". Sorry though that that you ended up with 2 in a week.

Since I'm one of those "up here" that really, really, dislikes snow, I'm quite happy with an inch of the white stuff this time.

I have more than enough to protect my perennials for the winter, so "mother Nature" can turn off the white stuff for me now.

A friend's daughter lives in downtown Baltimore, is 23 and just can't believe her eyes at how much snow is on the ground. She grew up in MA, just inside the snow belt of MA, or at least what was considered the 'snow belt", and she's never seen this much in any winter.

Poor kid, she wasn't around to see and experience the blizzard of '78 and that winter of total snow fall.

Your snow damage must be massive, and wait till the snow is gone in the spring to see how bad it really is. It will look worse than it does now.

I've got small limbs down all over the yard, pieces of pine trees strewn all over the top of the snow, rhodies that have become the permanent food for the deer and my elderly neighbor has spreading yews chewed down to the snow.

We will survive this winter and, surprisingly enough, the shrubbery will as well.

At least it isn't a winter without snow and bitter cold. We had one of those a few years ago and there was mass loss of shrubbery all over the state.

Think of it this way. Before we know it, we will all be complaining that it is way, way to hot and humid.

Fran

Heavy snow here and major damage to Jap. Umbrella Pine, numerous Ilex, some pride and joy mature conifers, and much to my surprise climbing roses. This was all noted walking down my drive I haven't had the heart to look around any further. I am trying to tell myself that it will be ok, that it will be fun working on replacing some of the most damaged but it is still heart breaking. Carl I feel your pain.

Not much snow here, but what there was was wet and icy. This has been a bad winter for my American hollies. The first big storm snapped my male I. opaca Jersey Knight off about 8 inches above the ground and bent the two I. o. Goldies to the ground. The Goldies recovered when I shook the snow off.

This time the Goldies were again bent to the ground but with ice so I couldn't shake them to free the tops. By late afternoon the ice was melting and they were beginning to straighten up so they may be OK. I'm wondering if I should stake them somehow.

Some of my ornamental grasses are now just tangled lumps - I discovered that sparrows have been hiding in them next to the feeders. From a bird's perspective they're probably lovely sheltered caves for them.

I do hope spring comes soon.

Claire

You know, I admit that I had been chuckling at the fact that the snow decided to fall further south this year, but after reading your posts I feel badly for you folks further south. I've been in your spot many a winter and it is heartbreaking when in the blink of an eye great shrub(s) or tree(s) can be wiped out. I think most of us really do mourn over the loss of some great plant material. I hope everyone who got the nasty heavy snow will be able to recover from the damage quickly.

You all may want to start shoveling out some shrubs before the melt. One particularly bad year I left the snow on my shrubs and japanese maples and it was not pretty. I figured that since they didn't snap from the weight of the original snowfall I was safe and the snow would just melt. As the snow was melting it must have been getting heavier and heavier or something (sounds crazy), because we noticed it drag down and snap branches off. Ever since then we tend to shovel or brush off trees and shrubs after more heavy snowfalls.

Good luck to everyone.

I have not seen any noteworthy damage in my part of the Mass south coast. Yes...a limb here and there, but nothing widespread. We had about 6 inches of heavy wet snow. And yesterday morning, with the sunshine, and the snow clinging to every twig, it was quite spectacular. Even my southern magnolia...which is a real magnet for heavy wet snow....came through totally unscathed. But I am a judicious pruner, so that helps a lot. I read in the Washington Post that DC has tremendous tree damage. The pictures looked horrific. Huge southern magnolias completely shredded.

I feel really lucky. We were spared any of this here in Providence. At least so far. Winter isn't over yet!

This was an unusually brutal winter for the mid-Atlantic states and some very majestic and old trees unfortunately met their demise. As heartbreaking as it is to see mature trees and shrubs ruined, there isn't much anyone can do to stop the weather........so maybe we have to see it as an opportunity to grow some new things in the empty spaces.

I have mostly bare ground here today. I thought this article might be of interest....

Here is a link that might be useful: 49 States dusted with snow....

I also have less snow here right now than I've had the last 2 years in mid-April - I can see bare ground in areas that haven't been plowed. I've been worried about our lack of snow cover and how it will effect some of my plants which push my zone a bit. I can rely most winters on at least 2 or 3 feet of snow from late December to March as mulch, so my snow damage will be due to lack of it rather than too much heavy snow. My sympathies to those of you who have lost plants to heavy wet snow, particularly trees which aren't quickly replaceable. We had to remove a bunch of birches last winter that were bending down into the road during heavy snows.

Right now the snow is more of a plaster on the ground rather than a cover.

This is the remains of the Ilex opaca Jersay Knight that got snapped off in the December snowstorm. I sliced a bit off the split stem to even it off and give it a better chance of sprouting. The top I just stuck in a bucket of compost to keep it as a "cut tree" accent in the landscape.

This is one of two Ilex opaca Goldies that were bent to the ground with ice after this latest storm.

When it warmed up enough for the ice to melt (I couldn't shake it off without damaging the hollies) both of them slowly stood back up.

Both of the Goldies seem to have recovered OK, but I may try some unobtrusive stakes this spring since this is the second time they've been bent to the ground by the NW winds, even though they're partly sheltered. I really don't want to lose them too. The Jersey Knight was in a more exposed location.

Claire

I'd love to have some snow here. I can see too much mulch in my garden area, and I'm too new to NH to feel comfortable having my plants so exposed as temps fall. Makes me nervous! My raspberries/blackberries have lost their snow insulation. Really worried about them as they were transplanted in September. They have some pine branches on them, but I don't know if it's enough.

Send us some snow!!

Deanna, you might get your wish for snow, today. Expecting edge of rain along the south coast, but heavier snow in NH.

Thus impelled by the forecast, DH and I drove down to our RI place yesterday with clippers and rakes and I pruned the climbing roses, he raked the clippings up, and we retied the long canes up to the wall. My overshirt is now rags from the many thorn tears, and I discovered later, in the shower, lots of punctures and scratches on my legs and arms. What a battle! If I ever meet a descendant of Mme. Alfred Carriere, I'll try to restrain myself from punching her out!

There was still a wet and heavy 2 inches of old snow on the ground, so I let the other beds alone until they are bare enough for a good clipping down to ground level of the old dead perennial stalks. Little snow damage; the more vulnerable shrubs such as the hollies are mostly on the west side of the cottage, and the last big snow came from the NE with a lot of wind, so anything on the lee side was untouched. But the deciduous trees all have a frozen wide coat of snow on their northeast trunk sides. The butterfly bushes could be cut back now, but I think I have up to mid-March to do that job. Oh, yeah - and the tomato bed must be relocated, due to last year's blight.

Lots to do, punctuated by a trip to the RI flower show later this week, and trips to the gym to stay in shape for more garden work.

Carol

Carol,
In what part of RI is your place located? You mention snow on the trees northeast sides etc. Here in Providence we had no such snow from the last storm. Today an inch so far. It is supposed to go to rain and maybe back to snow later.

Bill

Bill, we are so far east in RI that if we walk east across the beach we're in Westport MA. From our deck we see the white-red-white (at night) of the Gay Head light on Martha's Vineyard. So you can tell where we are, by a map. As we drove down Rt. 24 from Boston, I thought for a minute that suddenly hundreds of white birch trees had appeared; but it was non-birches with the wide white stripe coating their northeast sides. The southwest ground near each tree was bare of snow: a real snow shadow. So maybe the strongest winds in the last storm were more toward the Cape side of the South Coast area.

Carol

Carol,
They did get a lot more wind out that way. That storm was strange because the snow came in bands across different areas. Just a few miles made a big difference in snowfall. It seemed to start and stop all day too. Whatever it was, I'm glad it's gone! 32 days until spring!

Bill

This has been such an odd winter. Very even temperatures and no real extremes. The lowest temperature so far has been very moderate (8 degrees at my place) and the snow cover has been persistent, but not extreme in any way. Overall, good for plants I think. My tender broad-leafed evergreens like cherry laurels, southern magnolia, english holly, camellia, and aucuba show no signs of stress.....yet. Still lush and green as we enter the "danger period" for winter burn (late February-early March). And I have my fingers crossed...real tight...that my Crape Myrtle (which grew 4 feet last summer) will survive and put on a show this summer. Snow is great. Bring it on...as long as it is fluffy! But if we can make it through the next 3 weeks without any unusual cold, I will remain a happy camper.

Hi Rockman, Nice to see you. I remember that great photo you posted of your Southern Magnolia a few years ago, I think. I wonder if you could post more photos of all your tender evergreens? I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to see them. :-)

I had trouble last year in early March with an arborvitae that was planted the fall before. It did not make it through and about 3/4 of it was burned to a crisp. We replaced it and so far the new one has been getting through the winter fine, but I am wondering how it will do in the next month too. It has been dry here this winter and last fall. We've had moderate temps for the most part but we have also had no snow cover for the last two or three weeks and it has been windy. One of my Pieris is looking like it is struggling and it looked perfect in the fall when we planted it. Everything else looks fine.

I was wondering if there is anything that can be done to increase the chances that the evergreens will make it through the 'winter burn' period? My Arborvitae looked green all through the winter and didn't start showing signs of burn until mid to late March. I am putting blocks of ice from the bird bath under that tree just in case there are warm days and it could melt and water the shrub at the first sign of thawing out. Have no idea if that would make a difference or not.

Crape myrtle, Rockman? I'm starting a new thread about that.

Carol

Rockman,
I am also a big fan of broadleaf evergreens. I think we all welcome the change from brown, dead looking twigs on most other things in winter. I also have Magnolia grandiflora "Bracken's Brown Beauty" going through it's first winter. Other than two bent leaves, it looks fine. Aucuba has been here for years, no stress. I cut a small branch to put in a bud vase with a sprig of holly at Christmas, and it's well rooted in water now. I'll plant it out when it's warm. My camellias look fine as well, so far. Third year for Gelsemium sempervirens. The leaves change to a brownish hue in winter, but that's normal. It's growing by leaps and bounds. Had nice blooms last summer. I also planted Gardenia "Frostproof" last spring and it's looking perfect. I did put some old storm windows around it to help stop wind, and it's up near a south-facing stone wall, but for a gardenia to grow here is great in any case! My Yucca recurvifolia looks fine. There are always some leaves that need to be removed in spring, but it's been around for over ten years and has a 3.5 foot multiple trunk.

I've not tried crape myrtle but have seen some very large ones here in the city. One house had three on the sidewalk and they bloomed very nicely. The largest was at least 15 feet tall. I haven't been by that way in several years, so I don't know how they did. Possible that the horrible cold of January 2004 did them in.

Bill

Well, so much for starting a crape myrtle thread. I did a search and found several good threads on the subject, but I'd love to know if those sidewalk-side city trees still live, Bill. I grew up in D.C. with those gorgeous frilly bouquets on trees and miss them. But I hesitate to put one in and then watch it die during a hard winter. And no compromises: the hardier hybrids just don't look right, to me.

Carol

I've had good luck with Crape Myrtles here on the Cape, but if you don't use one of the newer hardy types you may lose the plant, or never see flowers. After one particularly bad winter, my old white (note to self: find that tag) didn't leaf out until the 4th of July. That year it went from being a statuesque 14' focal point to being a tiny shrub. It's now about 4' tall, and seems to be recovered at last. I will be cutting out most of the smaller branches this spring, to try to get back its vase-shaped, graceful structure.

Where they can be grown, they offer not only much-appreciated late summer color, but lovely foliage, excellent structure, and of course that wonderful peeling bark. Truth is, when the old white seemed to be a goner, it still looked really lovely (muscular was the term that always came to mind) even though it was bare naked through several months when everything else was leafed out and lush.

I can't think of a small tree or large shrub that I'd recommend more highly, for anyone who is in the warmer parts of New England.

Crape myrtle is one of those things I've had on the back burner for a while. I know I'd have to try the hardier types, and that's OK. I just haven't found a decent source. I've see a few online but I don't think the plants will be very substantial. I have never seen them in local nurseries.

Bill

Carol,

If I go out that way again I will look for those trees. They were deep pink and bloomed really well. The bark was that peeling orangey-brown as I recall. Very nice!

Bill

I have wanted to grow a Crape Myrtle for awhile. Especially a nice tall, deep pink one. I don't suppose zone 6a would be warm enough? Well, if anyone does find one that will grow here and knows where we could purchase them, count me in. :-)

Here are some recent photos, all taken last November. My yard is located in South Dartmouth MA, a few miles inland from Buzzards Bay. The exposure is south, except for the Aucuba which is on the north side of the house (it wants shade!).

The Japanese Aucuba is awesome. It lights up my entry way during dark gloomy winter days with vivid variegated leaves. I don't see many around and I think it is an under-utilized ornamental in the warmest parts of Southern New England.

And here is the southern magnolia (Bracken Brown Beauty). It is getting tall--a real beast. I am pruning it aggressively to maintain that narrow form. Otherwise it would overrun my space.

And here is a cherry laurel (variety Schipkaensis). The fence is about 8 feet tall, so this plant is a vigorous grower. I also think it is under-utilized in our warmer zones. Plus, it is VERY deer resistant. I also grow the Otto-Luyken cherry laurel (at right in pic above), but I find Schipkaensis stands up better to our most severe winters.

And finally, here is the crape last October sporting fall foliage. This variety is Muskogee. It has deep lavender blooms. I have communicated with Tree Oracle about the hardiest hybrids for our area. In addition, I have a friend in West Hartford successfully growing two against a south facing wall. The hardiest varieties are "Hopi" (light pink flowers), "Acoma" (white flowers), and "Tonto" (red flowers). Allen Haskell's daughter also informed me that her dad experimented with Crape's in New Bedford and found "Natchez" to work in our area. So, it remains to be seen how my Muskogee works out. I will keep you informed! As far as where to buy them, I know that Haskell's sometimes has Crapes. Mine was purchased at Sylvan's in Westport MA.

Well, there's that photo of your Bracken's Brown Beauty that I remember so well! What a healthy and vigorous looking specimen that is, rockman. It looks even better than the last time you posted it. I think all that pruning is making it good and bushy. Do you prune it every year? Did you purchase that at Sylvan's too? I have wanted to visit Sylvan's and haven't made it yet. Maybe this year. That Acuba also looks very healthy and love that variegation. That Muskogee certainly has wonderful fall foliage. I didn't realize Crapes had fall color. I wonder if you will have any die back this spring. Thanks for posting these photos and for getting the information about the Crape Myrtles that are hardy here. :-)

How long have you had the aucuba? My in-laws on Staten Island have had fairly serious winter burn on speckled aucubas after 'hard' winters. (that would be hard winters for them)

Several years ago, the NYT had an article on some fancy estate a bit north of us. One of the 'special' plants the designer had installed was cherry laurel. I've often wondered what they ended up using as a substitute. You can't just swap in a rhodo because the soil is too limy, and non-ericaceous, hardy broadleaf evergreens don't exactly grow on trees.

The aucuba has been in the ground for 3 years. It had very minor leaf damage last winter (we had one morning with a temp of -1). It shows no leaf damage at all so far this winter. I can tell you that this plant HATES winter sun. I located the plant in a location with 100% winter shade. It does receive a few hours of full sun in later spring-mid summer. And that works out perfectly as many shade-tolerant shrubs actually perform better with a little sun.

I really love cherry laurels. The flowers have an extraordinarily sweet aroma in spring. But I wouldn't try the Otto-Luyken variety in zone 5. Schipkaensis is a bit hardier. And apparently there is 3rd variety that is even more hardy, but I don't know the name.

I do prune the magnolia every year. Some times twice a year. I will prune lightly in early spring to shape. And then in fall I will prune it back a bit more aggressively. This keeps the branches stiff and prevents snow damage. But the pruning does lower flower production on old wood. But, it also produces flowers on new growth, so it works out OK.

The magnolia was purchased at Sylvan's in spring 2001. I brought it home in the back of my Jetta! So there has been a lot of growth in 9 years.

That's a lovely aucuba. I lost a nice variegated one in that bad winter - was it 2005? - but have a couple of plain green ones that do fine here on the Cape, 1/2 mile from Vineyard Sound. I fell in love with them in New Zealand a long time ago. Rockman is right, they really require winter shade, they burn badly otherwise. Sadly, mine are about 4' shorter than what I need in the space they're occupying, since I really want a screen there and they never seem to get taller than about 5 or 6 feet. I keep thinking I'll replace them with something taller, but can never find the steel to actually dig up such nice, happy, low maintenance plants.

Thanks rockman, I was just checking out the Sylvan website and I see that both the aucuba and the magnolia are listed as hardy to zone 6b. They do have an 'Edith Bogue' that is hardy to zone 6. The only Crape Myrtle they have listed is 'Red Filli' which grows to 18 inches tall. Thanks for sharing your photos...really enjoyed seeing them.

Apparently the Edith Bogue is even hardier than Braken Brown Beauty. And the branches on Edith Bogue are much more stiff, so they hold up better against heavy wet snow.

The availability of Crape's at Sylvan is hit or miss, as far as varieties go. But I think they can get whatever you want if you ask well ahead of time (like now) before their big spring shipments arrive. You could easily buy them on-line but that might be risky.

Digging the Dirt: If you do replace your aucuba screen, you might want to try the Schipkaensis Cherry Laurel. As I indicated above, they will grow very tall and they are deer resistant. Haskell's has them every spring, but they are small when you buy them.

And when I woke up this morning, I scratched the bark on my Crape, and I got deep fleshy green! Ahhh....still alive. Only a few more weeks in the danger zone! Fingers crossed.

All the web sites that describe Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis' (skip laurel) state the height at 4-6'.And, after having several generations of plants that never reached the height I needed, I think I'm looking for something with a nominal height of at least 12'.

I did see that Monrovia is growing variegated aucuba, so if anyone is looking for that it might be coming to a local nursery. Sure wish it got taller, because it's really a great plant for a shady corner.

Nan, Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis' will grow to 6-8' in our climate. Both of mine are in 7'+ range after 4 years in ground being initially planted as a 4' shrubs.
Two major cons:
- winter sunburns (in E and SE exposure)
and
- very prone to "shot hole disease" in such humid climates as ours which requires to apply "10-foot rule" to the planting site.

They are indeed pretty much deer-proof.

Would like to add to the list of hardy crape myrtles, "Zuni".
Mine was 10-12' tall and never experienced major dieback, even after that brutal January'05.
Unfortunately due to the lack of true 'full sun' in my garden it never bloomed very well and I gave it to a neighbor. Over there it performing to its full capacity ;-)

My large Schipkanesis does get a little of that "shot hole" disease each year, but nothing noticeable.

But what is the "10 foot rule"? Does anybody know?

"10 foot rule"= If you can't notice it from 10 foot it doesn't exist. ;-))))))

LOL... I like that 10 ft rule. First time I heard that one. :-)

Ahh...then my Laurel doesn't have that disease!