Cascadians, we have one that grows through a hole in the deck and it snapped off about 12feet from the ground a few years ago after an ice storm. It was the main trunk and I thought it was a goner but it came back luxuriantly and it now about 40' high. So, have hope and I hope yours survive!

Thank you Novita. I am so upset and horrified. Anybody who has experience with this, please weigh in and tell me what to do and what to expect. I have heard that some Eucs don't mind being pruned so I have hope.

" .... came back luxuriantly and is now about 40' high .... " that is so comforting, thank you Novita.

The volcanica is bent over with a large side branch snapped off. Lynn is out brushing the snow from the trees she can reach. As soon as it's safe to walk around I'll start pruning so water doesn't infiltrate the wounds and rot the wood.

Please advise!

Two-year old neglecta (3 of them) are bent over, too. Not going to wade thru deep snow to see if they snapped. But they were planted with idea to let them grow 3 seasons and get good trunk then coppice and cut new growth for arrangements. So snapping off not as devastating for my purposes. There are instructions online for pruning techniques. Will try to find them and give you the website. Seem to recall that you are supposed to cut at a slant, away from north, so water runs off.

This is why I mentioned not watering them. You shouldn't have to water after they root out in the initial establishment phase and you specifically don't want to make them soft with extra watering later.

You also don't want them to be receiving any shade as this will cause them to grow away from it and become prone to ending up prone - on the ground. The leaves are the same color on both sides because they usually grow in situations in nature where there is strong light all around.

You wrote: "I'll start pruning so water doesn't infiltrate the wounds and rot the wood."

Not to worry. The water won't start, or increase, rot.

So take your time. Prune when it's safe to do so.

This is the website about pruning: http://www.australiaplants.com/Eucalyptus_Info.htm
The pruning information is toward bottom of page. Don't know if it is good information; don't know anything about that outfit.

Thank you, Kneewalker, that is a very helpful link! I was so enjoying staring at these amazing crowns that were developing ... but it sounds like the trees will adapt and in time become full again. Thank you for all and any advice.

Slope facing south, wonder if I should do that with my other trees too? Other text on the web about pruning in general says slope away from bud. My southern grand magnolias are splintered and stripped. Devastating.

Most eucalypts are very tolerant of coppicing. Often, trees damaged by cold here (not necessarily snow or ice)will die back nearly to ground level, only to spring back into lush, if somewhat more shrubby forms as time passes. Other gardeners coppice intentionally, maintaining these plants as small, shrubby trees, much like one would a cotinus.

Once the snow and ice are gone, go ahead and prune the damaged parts to clean cuts and shape what remains as desired.

You wrote: "Slope facing south, wonder if I should do that with my other trees too?"

Those directions are for the southern hemisphere.

In your region, slope should face north. In other words, away from the strongest sun exposure.

I've had this happen a few times. If you're trees are snapping it definitely means you're giving them too much water. You are growing them too 'soft' as many people do. This is almost never a problem for them in the wild. When they have snapped for me it is usually the result of sapsuckers damaging the trunk first, aggravated by snowfall.

Trees that bend way down are usually able to right themselves with a little help. Not a big deal for smaller/younger trees. If they keep doing this even when they get 50' tall, it means you've been growing them too soft, or in too much shade.

Good news though.... everything will grow back and be fine. Even if they snap and no foliage remains, they will bounce right back over the summer. Wait to prune until April.

In my garden, some younger eucs are leaning but most of the big ones are still standing up straight or at least in the position they were before the snow. I think any that were going to lean severely, snap, or blow down or otherwise fall over already got that out of their system in past winters.

Thank you all so much, and Bboy, Jean001, Gardengal48 and Ian for your help. I will diligently follow all advice, except I feel I cannot wait until April to mend these gashes and splinters glaring out at me, open compound fracture wounds.

The camphora which is now over 30' tall and is in a creeklet (a swamp euc) bent all the way to the ground and has bounced back up. The others snapped. As soon as the ice and snow melt I will go out there and cut those splinters clean as advised above.

Such a relief to hear they will be OK and come back.

Is there such a thing as a mini chain saw that runs by electrical cord? It would sure be handy. Will have to inquire at Home Depot. It is still difficult to get around our neighborhood, a lot of snow and ice and mounds and ruts and piles in the roads. The ice is still hard as a rock.

Do any of you know if magnolias grandiflora come back after their branches sheer off from snow and ice? We have 5 large expensive ones and they're toast. Hoping they too will regenerate and grow leaves in spring and summer.

Maybe we should plant Euc neglectas in the raised bed there instead?
What type of root system do Neglectas have?
And I read Neglectas tolerate more shade and water than other eucs.

Looking for broadleaf evergreens there as "lollipop" trees to provide canopy overhead on long uncovered walk to front door.

I wouldn't expect any gums to develop satisfactory specimens in what would be described as any type of shade. They really resent it, as do many pines and most cypresses.

The problem with your evergreen magnolias is you bought the wrong kinds. For our climate you need compact cultivars such as 'Saint Mary' and 'Victoria' to be able to have a good assurance of them coming through periods of damp heavy snow intact. Ones with long internodes and large leaves like 'Monlia' are built to break. I've also seen the semi-columnar 'Little Gem' snapped in half by snow, right across the middle.

I'm no expert, and most websites I read about eucs mention Ian in one way or another - so he must be "The Man". I chose neglecta because it allegedly tolerates waterlogged soil and is more shade tolerant. In the wild it grows as an understory. That may mean nothing here in US.

Bought them from Forest Farms and was concerned when they arrived that they were too tall. But the roots were not circling around so I planted them. Pretty pathetic the first year but second season encouraging. By the way, they were bent over under snow and ice; today they are straightened up.
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"Eucalyptus neglecta - Omeo Gum, Omeo Round-leaved Gum (Victoria) This is quickly becoming one of the most popular eucs in the United States. Distantly allied to the blue gums but anomalously hardy and shade tolerant; it makes fast growth to 30 - 60' high with equal spread. It will also tolerate waterlogged soil and considerable heat. The juvenile leaves are large and round and on square stems, and usually persist for 7 - 15 years before any adult leaves are seen! In a cool moist climate the foliage assumes a fabulous purplish hue. One specimen withstood an amazing -17°F with little damage in Cincinnati, but this seems to have been a one-time incident; as the same tree later froze to the ground at -8°F. Usually this species can be relied upon to withstand temperatures down to -4 to +2°F, and it should be grown in zones 7b and up."

Kneewalker, so glad your eucs straightened up. From all I've read and now your description I must get at least one neglecta. Live and learn!

Bboy, there are magnolias grandiflora all over town, huge ones, thriving, so I thought they'd be OK. Sentimental love of them. Nursery by Molalla river had over 100 12-year olds. We picked the ones we liked, 5 of them. They had already been through ice busting and had recovered so we figured they were hardy. One though isn't a grandiflora but we don't know what it is.

Their branches are sheared and their tops snapped and splintered. Hope they come back. The magnolia virginiana out back is also toast. It wasn't doing very well anyway, but the flowers were intensely fragrant. It's by a bird bath and a neighborhood cat decimated it trying to pounce off it to catch birds. Plus it has unknown problems. So that may be a good place for the neglecta, although it is sandwiched in between a few giant sequoias, weeping crabapple, windmill palm, etc.

Thanks all for all info. The only plants I'm still wanting are a pinus monticola (native western white pine), staghorn sumac and forest pansy redbud. They'll have to go where something has expired. And now I will really make sure whatever I plant is STRONG and can survive drought, flooding, snow, ice, heat, wind.

Right now the creeklets through our yard are running hard, very hard. We put large rock slabs vertically in them to retain water in spring and slow velocity since the whitewater was so fast it caused erosion. So it's like hard running pools now. Until today those creeks were dry.

If I can get out there today, enough ice melts, will be chainlocking lots of bent trees to lodge poles to straighten them up, must examine trunks to be sure they aren't cracked.

Cascadians, you are going to see a substantial number of water sprouts on your damaged Magnolia grandiflora. That is one picky plant when it comes to pruning (intentional or otherwise). The magnolia at Lake Washington Technical College was damaged by ice and snow a few years ago and still looks terrible. It may never regain a graceful form.

This is a great opportunity to assess whether you need so many trees--be slow to replace anything you've lost this winter. Plants in the shade grow longer, thinner stems as they reach toward the light. All the supplemental water you've provided hastens that effect. The shade generated by the magnolias alone must be (or will be) substantial. You'll continue to see damage from storms in these conditions.

>That is one picky plant when it comes to pruning (intentional or otherwise)Has been trained into geometric patterns against walls for centuries.

Digdig, if any of these magnolias croak we won't replace them with more magnolias. I think you're right in that they won't bounce back fully. The other tree that was recommended for a lollipop form was a portuguese laurel. May try a Euc neglecta if the space is open, need to find out what kind of root system a neglecta forms over time since this is a raised bed.

The little blue Euc gunnii snapped about 2" from the ground. Wonder if it will grow up from roots. Was young and small but such an exquisite color.

The huge curly willow in the front has innumerable large limbs snapped at the tops. Only a tall bucket truck can reach those. It used to be a magnificent tree, the largest curly willow I've ever seen. Willows tend to grow back but this one has some sort of wilt problem in spring. It has lost so much bulk that all the trees under and around it will now get a lot more sunlight.

Have 4 Oregon myrtles (slow growing) along back that I'll transplant to spots where other trees died. Won't be buying many more trees, except the tight columnar Norway Spruce Cupressinas to replace squashed arbor vitae.

Had a sweet broom that was getting really big. It looks fried from the deep freeze. Wonder if it will sprout back from wood.

Bamboo, lots snapped. Ppl say bamboo is indestructible but I've had trouble with mine. It was already here and tends to shear off about 11' up from the ground in wind. Bungeed it to house but it isn't right, isn't thriving. Yellowish, should be green.

Cannot yet get to back of yard, silver dust leyland laying down, a bit uprooted, will have to be re-planted. Yard guy supposed to come tomorrow to help me.

Arbutus marina croaked, as did a golden chain tree.

Will not buy a staghorn sumac or forest pansy redbud. Will leave more space in yard. The sun beating down here in the summer is so fierce it's hard to imagine having too much shade, but hopefully trees will grow.

3 years of my life totally dedicated to these trees, and it looks like a war zone. And this morning I looked out the window and saw a retarded neighborhood cat climbing to the top of one of the young horse chestnuts. It had already tried to climb the spindly Cyprus Cedar and broken off 2 main branches. If not ice, the damn cat. The neighborhood has a few big old strong trees but this cat is obsessed with damaging the trees in my yard.

Plant slower-growing, more dignified selections among the others and transition to those as time goes by. Unless your interest fades or you move away you are likely to learn about other kinds of plants you want to try in the future. Much of the fast growing etc. stuff you have now could end up having functioned as a sort of pioneer vegetation, that gradually gives way to other kinds.

Specimens growing in place for some years and then toppling should be inspected for deformed roots left from careless container culture. Root rotting water molds and fungi, including honey fungus are also possible causes.

Skip the Portugal laurel. Nasty re-seeder and dense shade under that EG canopy. You'd be signing up for more work with that one.