by Connie Oswald Stofko
Snow is coming to Western New York, and heavy snow is expected in the Snow Belt, according to the National Weather Service.
It’s time to protect your gardens from heavy snow—you never know if the winds will shift and surprise you.
By the way, if heavy snow warnings are surprising you, it’s probably because most of us in Western New York haven’t gotten any snow yet this season. Buffalo has now set the record for the latest snow fall.
Protect shrubs
David Clark, CNLP, has lived with snow damage to his shrubs. Remember the November storm two years ago where some areas, such as Hamburg, got about 80 inches of snow? Clark gave us tips on how to deal with snow damage. Then in January of this year, after high winds and heavy snow, he told us not to panic and gave us more information.
But we don’t have to wait until our shrubs are damaged to do something. Also in January of this year, Clark showed us how to prepare for winter. In addition to providing protection for shrubs, the article also addresses container plants, perennials and cold weather vegetables.
Bring in breakable items
Fragile items, such as the glass bird bath above, should be brought in. High winds can knock down branches and break these items.
Bring in garden ornaments, plant stands, pots, hoses, or anything else that’s best not kept outside all winter, said Lyn Chimera of Lessons from Nature. Concrete or terra cotta planters and bird baths will crack during the winter, so be sure to get those put away.
“I speak from experience,” Chimera said.
Empty rain barrels, take in hoses
If you haven’t already, remove the downspout from your rain barrel. A rain barrel filled with water can crack when the water freezes.
Leaving hoses outside to freeze can cause sections to burst and leak, Chimera said. Hoses should be emptied and brought into the garage or basement.
To empty the hose, start at one end and lift it up waist high before coiling it on the ground. Keep lifting and coiling until the entire hose is empty and coiled. This forces the water out the other end.
A handy way to store hoses is to coil the hose up and tie with twine in two or three places, she said. That prevents the hose from getting all tangled and you can stack or hang them easily.
This is easier to do on a warmer day as the hose won’t be as stiff to coil. If it is sunny lay the hose in the sun for a while and it will be more pliable.
