How Do You Protect Your Shrubs from Winter Damage?

Learn how to protect your shrubs from damage caused by harsh weather and hungry critters, so they can survive the winter.

Shrubs serve as workhorses in the garden, supplying visual structure, flowers and colorful foliage, as well as wildlife habitat throughout the year, even in winter.

But the coldest time of year can be the most challenging for these plants, courtesy of sudden, frigid blasts, unreliable moisture and muscular critters. Winter damage typically reveals itself the following spring, when shrubs are either already in recovery mode or deceased.

That’s why it’s ideal to take the following steps to protect your shrubs pre-snow, ice, drying winds and other harsh conditions.

1. Choose Hardy Shrub Varieties

The path to boost the odds that your shrubs will survive a severe winter is to choose plants that suit your climate.

Be sure to consult your hardiness zone as well as other necessary growing conditions when choosing shrubs, trees and other plants to ensure you get the best possible plant type for your area.

If you have a shrub that keeps struggling through winter, consider replacing it with a species that is better suited to the special growing conditions of your landscape. Start your search with plants that are native to your region; these shrubs are best suited to your growing conditions.

2. Keep Your Shrubs Well-Watered

Healthy, well-hydrated plants are best positioned to survive winter. Remember that water is often your most limiting resource for growth and can be one that you can deliver with relative ease. Deeply water shrubs in fall, particularly if moisture has been short during the growing season.

Additional water will facilitate deep root growth, the foundation of a healthy, vigorous plant, during the time of year that the stems themselves are dormant.

Try to apply enough water to keep the soil 8 to 10 inches below the surface moist once a week until the ground freezes.

3. Keep Roots Insulated from Temperature Extremes

Newly planted shrubs and those sensitive to cold temperatures in your area require additional protection at the soil level.

Snow naturally acts to insulate the plant’s root zone and moderate soil temperature, but you can’t depend on a consistent 12-inch layer of white each year. Instead, lay down 4 inches of mulch around your shrubs as a protective blanket.

Good mulch choices include shredded bark, leaves, straw or compost. Lift off the mulch at the first sign of new growth in spring.

4. Prevent Critter Damage

Hungry deer, rabbits, mice and plenty of other wildlife can turn a shrub into a winter buffet when food is scarce across the landscape.

Unfortunately, in brutal winters, no shrubs are immune to animal destruction. The move is to fence off plants most at risk, like arborvitae and yews. When it comes to valuable or sentimental landscape plants, create a barrier, too.

The fencing material depends on the critters you’re trying to keep out. Rabbits, mice and other small rodents can also be excluded with a cylinder of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth wrapped around the shrub.

Make sure the barrier extends at least 24 inches above the expected snow line. If you want more protection, bury the bottom edge of the hardware cloth about 8 centimeters (3.2 in) deep in the ground to stop animals from digging beneath it to reach the shrub. If you need to keep deer out, however, you’ll need an 8-foot-tall fence.

Liquid repellents can deter deer and other animals if reapplied regularly. The most effective contain potent solids produced by eggs, predator urine, or slaughterhouse waste, but if you want to spare your own nose, you may not want to use those anywhere near walkways or outdoor seating areas. To get the most out of repellents, start using them early in the season and reapply them after any rain or snow.

5. Protect Shrubs from Wind Winter

Drought, also withering winter winds, can especially dry broadleaf evergreen shrubs, like rhododendrons and boxwood. Strong bursts of cold wind can dry out plants’ leaves, or needles, causing them to brown. The amount of water lost can be so high that it can cause damaging or fatal damage to a shrub.

They just need a little protection, so you’ll want to make a temporary windbreak around the plants that are the most vulnerable. With larger shrubs, in fall drive a few stakes into the ground around the plant. Using burlap or canvas cloth, wrap the stakes. Do not use plastic; it can induce damaging temperature changes. A plant cover is an easy solution for the smaller shrubs.

Final Thoughts

Follow the tips provided here each winter to protect your shrubs from winter damage each fall, and you’ll be glad you did. Shrubs cost a lot of money these days and you want to make the most of your investment. If you need expert help with protecting your shrubs, give us a call at 505-293-4014 here at ASAP Sands Outdoor Services. We are here to help!