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Snow damage to garden

LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
in The potting shed
Anyone suffered any snow damage to their garden over recent days?

I'm in S.Yorks and it has snowed constantly for a couple of days, the weight of the snow overnight has ripped some branches off a giant Scotts Pine tree in my neighbours garden. The tree is so big the branches overhang onto my garden by at least three meters. They have snapped and fallen onto two of my trees and completely destroyed them, one is a beautiful Amelanchier which is annoying, the other is a holly tree that I planted and get lovely berries in winter.

My Amelanchier...




In addition, some of the branches on my magnolia tree have snapped under the weight of snow, It's probably been there 40+yrs. Might be time to cut it down and replant? Quite devastating in a non serious kind of way.

Snapped magnolia branches drooping to the ground..
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Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I’m in Sheffield too, have lost several smaller trees, lots of branches off shrubs, gotta damaged g/h and was nearly killed when a branch fell off one of my Beeches, whilst I was checking on our woodland.
    Abou as bad as I have seen in 30 years here.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
    Nature can be cruel. Such a shame when established trees get killed off. Whilst my magnolia looks amazing for the two weeks it's in flower, I don't find it very attractive for the rest of the year. Maybe an opportunity to plant the Seven Sons Flower tree in its place that I recently bought?

    We've had more snow here in Sheffield than I've seen in quite a while, its been falling lightly but continuously for a couple of days and got quite deep


  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    My poor Euphorbia characias, I was so pleased that they appeared to have survived this winter. Now flattened by heavy snow. I have tried to rescue them. Some Euonymus also damaged, as well as one of my few surviving Salvias. 
    It has not been a good winter. Plant Fairs beckon.
  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, @LeadFarmer, I would be so upset if anything like that happened. Snow can be a beast! No snow here, just heavy rain. I hope things are not as bad as they seem at present? I am glad that your Seven Sons Flower Tree is ok though.
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
    clematisdorset said:
    Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, @LeadFarmer, I would be so upset if anything like that happened. Snow can be a beast! No snow here, just heavy rain. I hope things are not as bad as they seem at present? I am glad that your Seven Sons Flower Tree is ok though.
    It's still in its pot as I have only just bought it, it's just a small sapling but I may plant it where the magnolia currently stands, but I will have to dig out all the roots first.
  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    LeadFarmer said:
    clematisdorset said:
    Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, @LeadFarmer, I would be so upset if anything like that happened. Snow can be a beast! No snow here, just heavy rain. I hope things are not as bad as they seem at present? I am glad that your Seven Sons Flower Tree is ok though.
    It's still in its pot as I have only just bought it, it's just a small sapling but I may plant it where the magnolia currently stands, but I will have to dig out all the roots first.
    Oh, that is 'lucky' I guess.  :)  I hope this is the last of the bad weather - it would be really good to have a long growing season before any potential heatwaves this summer. 
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    I'd be reluctant to take the mature trees out , I'd clean them up and see what happens later in the year ,they should by all means regenerate. The amelicheir will probably sprout from the base so be multi stemmed and the magnolia should be fine.  

     I went out around midnight waving a broom around bashing the shrubs, doing this has probably saved my euphorbia its only a young plant.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Too early to be sure but I expect most things to be ok, they are used to weather here. The snow varies from nothing to around the 6ft mark, but the wind made sure the trees were bare. The ash trees have shed a few bits of branches, but nothing major. My snowdrops, hellebores and cyclamen are deep in snow, but they are tough plants and will survive. It has been cold here, as expected in winter, so things have not been fooled into putting on too much new growth as they may have been in warmer parts.
    The greenhouse is currently inaccessible. I've left the snow on the roof for insulation and the windows and doors are plastered too. I'm hoping it hasn't got too cold as it has fared well so far this winter, it's a matter of wait and see.
    The wildlife has been active, there are stoat and rabbit tracks in the garden and the buzzards were on the lookout for casualties. The little pond has disappeared under snow and the big one is mostly covered in greyish slushy ice. Some ducks made valiant attempts at ice-breaking but it was obvious how hard it was and most of them are just sitting about disconsolately.
  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
    I spent yesterday and today going out in the garden and scraping the snow off the privet hedges and box balls as the weight of it was making them flatten and buckle over.
  • AstraeusAstraeus Posts: 336
    Another Sheffielder here.

    I went out at 6am this morning because my two year old amelanchier was bent over and had branches touching the ground. Shook it off and it's perked right up through the day. A similar aged crab apple fared similarly, albeit it didn't start off as bad.

    On a walk today, I was surprised at just how many trees had come down.

    Annoyingly, the horrendously diseased and dangerously overhanging plum on our verge survived intact, despite being bent double with its branches touching the ground and the tree at about a 30 degree angle. You'd never have known I lived in a city where the council were besides themselves with joy at the prospect of cutting down street trees...
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