The record breaking snow storms of 2010 have left many area gardeners in anguish after reviewing the damage inflicted. 48-inches of heavy snow (120 cm) from two storms in a one week period slammed our area that averages 16-inches of snow (40 cm) in an entire winter. Everyone has relayed stories of broken tree limbs, buried gardens, and ice-sheared shrubs, and this gardener does, too.My front display garden damage cannot be observed at this point under the white blanket. Hollies are fine, but the mountain laurel with its weak limbs succumbed to the snow load in the first storm.
My rear yard is another matter. The queen of the back yard, the Dr. Merrill Star Magnolia came away with not a scratch due to its muscular stems and trunk. The 15-foot tall (4 m) Photinia turned into a weeping photinia. The branches eased back to vertical after some snow melt, but are not as tight and upright as before. There is hope for the spring.
The ligustrum had a few lower branches broken from the weight of snow. Later snow melt will reveal the extent of damage, however the plants will survive. Their trained tree-shape may be the casualty. The dogwood lost a lower branch, but otherwise appears well.
The most damage that can be observed, or rather not observed occurred on the 8-foot tall (2.5 m) rhododendrons. These are nowhere to be seen from the house windows. It is feared they are completely flattened to the ground and buried under snow.
Bummer. My rhodos weren't that tall, but they too were buried in snow. I'm hoping they're just bent. Maybe yours will spring back.
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