Shake the Tree

While a blanket of snow in the garden can look breathtaking and have benefits to the soil, large amounts of heavy, wet snow can put added weight onto tree branches and shrubs. This can lead to bending and breaking of branches and can even cause trees or shrubs to fall over or be uprooted.

The best course of action here is to shake excess snow from the branches of large trees, shrubs and hedges, to prevent them from becoming disfigured by the weight – grab a washing pole or long-handled brush to help shake high branches.

Trees like conifers generally will not regrow from old wood so snapped branches can alter the shape of the tree, leaving it often lopsided. The moisture content of snow can range from approximately 1% to 33%, which means that snow can potentially weigh from 1 pound per cubic foot to over 21 pounds per cubic foot. The longer the snow sits on vulnerable branches, the greater the chance of the branch snapping under the weight becomes.

So grab a broom and get outside for a bit of fresh air and physical exercise as you shake the tree and a bit of laughter as you dodge the flying snow!