Piled snow has wreaked havoc on Anchorage yards. Here’s what to expect as you get working in your lawn and plants.Grass pokes through a cleared spot on a lawn on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 in West Anchorage.
So what to expect? I am not worried about snow mold. With a bit of sunlight and warmer weather, the fine mycelium which are the hallmarks of snow mold — and cause all the bother — will melt away. Or, I can rake it away with a leaf rake once the lawn is dry and thus safe to walk on. Prove me wrong, but I’ve never seen an Alaska lawn taken out by snow mold.
Girdled trees, where the bark has been totally removed by voles, however, are a different story. Only young trees are hit so we won’t have any, but I hope the disappearing snow doesn’t reveal this kind of damage on your young trees. It is not repairable if the trunk has been completely girdled. Next fall, wrap newly planted trees with foil or wire.What I am curious about are the islands created in the lawn by last year’s “no mow.” I am trying to get rid of the traditional lawn in our backyard.
I am also very curious to see how those shrubs smooshed by the successive snowfalls do. I have a few lilacs whose branch tips are still bent over and encased in snow. The bent lilacs look like resting octopuses dotting the lawn. Are they going to bounce back or am I going to have to do some drastic pruning? I suppose I could pull them out of their prison now and try to get them to return to normal form. Better to wait until sap is flowing and leaves form and when they are not so stiff.