Ok, so the snow took everyone by surprise – not that we don’t get a few flakes in October, but we got DUMPED on last night if you live up north by the Wyoming border. A buddy who lives up there reported 14 inches at his house this morning.
Those of us further south didn’t get that much, but if you’re one of those who did and are worried about trees and shrubs bending under the weight of the snow, relax. You don’t have to rush out and whack off the snow; in fact, you could make things worse if you do.
You see, most people try to help overburdened branches by wiping the snow off with a broom, sweeping from the top of the branch like you would when clearing off your car. The weight of your sweeping – even lightly – with that broom adds to the weight of the snow, often being the last straw for the branch and it cracks.
Try to let the day warm and slough the snow off naturally. I know it’s hard – those branches look like they can’t take any more. If you feel you must do something, gently bop the branch with the soft bristles of the broom from the BOTTOM up. This will dislodge the snow.
Gently is the way to go with this – you don’t want to flail away, bruising and tearing the branches in your desire to help that tree.
Perennials, grasses, roses, and other landscape plants should be fine. But check small water features to ensure that pumps aren’t getting frozen.
Gardening after five 
Quick question for you, Carol–is it normal for some trees to experience sudden leaf drop after subfreezing temps? All the green ash trees in my neighborhood lost leaves this weekend. I wrote about it on my blog today if you need more info.
Great question, Jodi – the answer was long enough to make into a post.