Pruning and preparation: how to save your trees from the weight of winter

This bout of winter weather may have left your backyards and gardens in less than ideal shape.

The recent ice storm in the Fraser Valley has left trees coated in ice and looking worse for wear.

Master gardener Brian Minter told B.C. Almanac listeners to get ready to prune back those weighed down branches, but only once they thaw out.

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"You can't smack ice off, you're going to start breaking branches," Minter told host Michelle Eliot.

"Unless you have a particular part of a tree, or big branch, bending over where it's going to break, putting supports under it is very wise.

"Once the damage is obvious, you can prune them back."

Asa wayto protect against snapped boughs, he suggested tying up smaller treeswith string so that the branches don't get too weighed down.

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Pruning trees into a structure that will tolerate wind, inclementweather, snow andice can also help prepare trees for harsh winter conditions, according to Minter.

"I think we have a responsibility in our yards not to lose some of these wonderful plants simply because we need to prune them a little," he said.

Because the lastfew winter seasons have been especially harsh in the Fraser Valley and around the Lower Mainland, Minter saidit might be time to rethink how we plant our gardens and what we choose to grow in the future.

With files fromB.C. Almanac