This WAS a beautiful, specimen Japanese maple.....I think we are going
to see alot of ornamental tree and shrub damage from the heavy snow.

A weak tree....! Silver maple is a great fast growing tree, but not
the strongest. It's a good idea to cut out very heavy limbs, a bit
more drastic pruning than some other maples

I find it fun to identify trees in the winter, without leaves...!
It's amazing how quickly you can do this once you start. Notice the
branches growing downward at the base and then they start to "fan"
upward until they are vertical on this tree. Yeup, it's a Pin Oak!

Oh No....!

This poor rhododendron !!! This was a tough call though.....removing the ice accumulation before the limb broke could have just as easily caused damage. Oh well, nothing a little "restoration" pruning in the Spring won't fix !

So much ice this year...! I can't wait for Spring !

As beautiful as the icicles can be...... the weight of them can injure shrubs. If you decide to break them off be careful not to damage the leaves/branches. It is better to knock just enough off to eliminate some weight. The rest will melt eventually !

Winter is a fun time to spot things such as a squirrel nest full of
leaves and shredded bark or even these Parrot nests (New Haven)

Poor Arborvitae..!!! Wait this can be avoided or at least
repaired.......
Just tie a cord around the leaders, hiding it inside the foliage. The
best "cord" I have found is a flat "Arbor-tie". This tends to not
girdle the limbs as, say clothsline would over time.

This very old Japanese "threadleaf" Maple has a chunk of wood propping it up to prevent further snow and wind damage.

Winter is truely beautiful ...

Can you see the Hawk?.....on top of the pole? Birds of prey can be
seen along roadways in trees, on signs, etc.
In the winter when the leaves have fallen is the best time to notice
these beautiful predators.

Now.....that's a well decorated Holiday Tree !!!

Ice accumulation on trees makes for a beautiful wintery landscape, but
can cause damage to trees and shrubs. Making sure yours trees and
shrubs are pruned properly to eliminate potentially hazardous dead,
diseased or weakly attached limbs is the best way to reduce damage.

Look for vines on trees NOW!
They are more easily seen in winter and "choke" trees often. Just cut
a 6" piece of the vine out at waist level, then in the spring spray
the newly sprouted leaves at waist level with "Roundup". The higher
sections of vine will die and let go eventually. Just a precaution....the vines might be poison ivy , so be careful and disinfect the hand saw blade after cutting poison ivy !

Is snow good or bad for shrubs...?
Well heavy accumulation should be removed to prevent snow load damage,
but snow cover actually can insulate the shrub from drying winter
winds, some snow is good.

Another co-dominant trunk. Cut one!

This small oak tree has two main trunks. One should be cut now to encourage a strong single main trunk.