Smashed plants?

[MountainMoon22]

Do smashed plants come back? I have some lavender, lilacs and a broom plant that were flattened under the snow.
Are they goners?

[lar]

I have a four foot high hedge that got flattened, but it is starting to get back in position finally. I am going to guess yes AMD on your plants.

[OzGirl]

I think smashed will be fine - its the broken that wont :-(

[antzgal]

although, some plants you can cut the breakage off and it will produce new. Many perinnials do okay with this method. Just consider it like a pruning. I would not pull them out as of yet, just clean them up some and keep an eye on them.

[LFE]

Most plants do very well (part of the zone hardness of the region).
If the plant is damaged, you might want to try cutting it back noting that some (very few) plants do not like being cut back.

Lilacs for instance like being cut back.
In fact, the cut branches can even be used to start new plants.

[derricksonb]

For the most part "smashed" plants will come back, unless the limbs are broken. Every single one of our azaleas was buried under the snow and the weight collapsed them. I shoveled off what I could from the tops and within a few days most were standing up where clear. This even allowed me to clean out leaves and debris that were hidden within the branches.

[KatherineA]

I also vote yes on smashed plants - they will return and any pruning necessary to fix the smashedness might not be all bad either.

[June]

Lavender is especially hardy!

[Willis]

My Leyland Cypress took a hit. The carnage can be seen along Mission Rd. The snow bent them over to the point they were uprooted. I'm working on removing them. My problem was they were growing toward the sun. Leylands that are planted in an open area achieve their characteristic pyramidal shape and are much less prone to completely bending over-they may just lose a branch or two. At least I'll have a better view of the Mt in the Winter.

[KatherineA]

My Leyland Cypress took a hit. The carnage can be seen along Mission Rd. The snow bent them over to the point they were uprooted. I'm working on removing them. My problem was they were growing toward the sun. Leylands that are planted in an open area achieve their characteristic pyramidal shape and are much less prone to completely bending over-they may just lose a branch or two. At least I'll have a better view of the Mt in the Winter.

I saw that - bummer Willis - You might want to try some pines from the Extension Service - I have a brochure and the little trees are only a buck a piece - I have had pretty good luck with them

[grafxgirl]

Our lilacs and azaleas are a complete mess. Bryan's grandmother said to give it time, they should pop back up. Worst case scenario is we'll have to trim them up after they bloom.

[shadowplay]

We have a couple of lilacs that are on a bit of a slope. It seems like the snow/ice chunk moved downhill like a glacier and just tore the branches off the roots. One I'm pretty sure is done for, the other may have a bit of a chance.

[cjb]

Lilacs for instance like being cut back.

Lilacs like to be cut back, yes, but not right now. The buds that will be this springs flowers are on those branches. If you don't mind not having flowers this year it's fine then.

All plants in this region can handle being under a pile of snow. It happens!!

[TokyoHits]

Our well established trees and bushes survived with a couple broken branches but the newly planted ones did not do too well. A small crape myrtle broke in half along with some burning bush offshoots I relocated. The boxwood shrubs will probably recover but suffered major damage.

[LFE]

The buds on broken branches might not flower as expected... however cut or broken, the plant should live.


Lilacs like to be cut back, yes, but not right now. The buds that will be this springs flowers are on those branches. If you don't mind not having flowers this year it's fine then.

All plants in this region can handle being under a pile of snow. It happens!!

[lar]

I work for a builder and they just pulled the shrubs out of the models yesterday, I sure wish I had the pickup truck at work. I would have pulled some of the stuff out of the dumpster. They looked fine to me, they just need to be perfect for the models.

[OzGirl]

I work for a builder and they just pulled the shrubs out of the models yesterday, I sure wish I had the pickup truck at work. I would have pulled some of the stuff out of the dumpster. They looked fine to me, they just need to be perfect for the models.

Dang - that would have been one heck of a save there....my problem is I dont have a pickup truck, nor an appropriate trailer :-(

[cjb]

I work for a builder and they just pulled the shrubs out of the models yesterday, I sure wish I had the pickup truck at work. I would have pulled some of the stuff out of the dumpster. They looked fine to me, they just need to be perfect for the models.



I DO - call next time??

[MountainMoon22]

My dwarf lilacs are really broken up, kind of bummed about that, I was hoping this would be the year to get some nice blooms on them...sigh....at least my lavender plants are all right.

[LFE]

My dwarf lilacs are really broken up, kind of bummed about that, I was hoping this would be the year to get some nice blooms on them...sigh....at least my lavender plants are all right.

You can try to make graphs out of the broken branches (cut the branch off below the break, then above the break cut it off at an angle, stick it in some rootone http://gardentech.com/rootone_howto.asp and then stick it in the ground).

We planted some lilacs last year. The deer at all the flower buds, then some bugs ate all the leaves :-(

[Dhyana]

Mike McGraff said to leave them alone for a month to see if they spring back by themselves. If not post four stakes around the plant and run a rope around the stakes. DO NOT HOG TIE YOUR PLANTS.