Heavy Wet Snow on Evergreens: Should You Knock It Off Arborvitae and Junipers? What Extension Experts Say

Leave iced-over branches alone. Clear only fresh, heavy, wet snow, and do it by sweeping upward with a broom, never downward and never by beating the branches. The upward sweep is the advice of Iowa State University Extension, and the Chicago Botanic Garden agrees on being very gentle. Where the experts split is shaking, and that split is the real answer to the question in the headline. If a branch is already bowed but not broken, Iowa State says to be patient, and the Chicago Botanic Garden says bent upright evergreens should eventually straighten themselves. Upright junipers whose branches stay bent are the case where Colorado State advises corrective pruning later.

What the Central Rockies storm covers, and what it doesn’t

The National Weather Service office in Grand Junction issued a Winter Storm Watch on Oct. 30 for the northwest and southwest San Juan Mountains, valid from Sunday morning through noon Monday (Nov. 1-2). Its text reads: “Heavy snow possible above 10,000 feet. Total snow accumulations between 10 to 15 inches with locally higher amounts possible.” A separate Winter Weather Advisory covers the Gore and Elk Mountains, the Central Mountain Valleys, the West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, the Flat Tops and the Grand and Battlement Mesas, with “between 5 and 10 inches” of snow above 10,000 feet. The office’s forecast discussion calls the system “a robust Atmospheric River” and says “much of this water is expected to come down as snow.”

The watch and the advisory both apply above 10,000 feet, higher than most yards. For the Front Range, the Denver/Boulder office’s forecast discussion says mountain snow is “likely (>70% chance) above 8500ft” and that “High uncertainty remains for the foothills and plains.” So this piece is most useful for mountain-town gardeners with a row of arborvitae or a columnar juniper, and for anyone else who will meet their first heavy, wet snow of the season. The advice is the same wherever the snow lands.

Three pre-planned garden beds, free

Stop staring at empty beds: printable plans with exact layouts, plant lists and planting calendars — yours free from the Garden Library.

Send me the plans

I agree to receive emails from Blooming Expert and accept the Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

Shake it, sweep it or leave it? Where the experts agree and split

Nobody in the sources recommends beating ice off a shrub, and nobody asks you to clear every flake. The disagreement is narrower. Iowa State says that when heavy, wet snow piles up on evergreens, “gently shake the snow from the branches” or sweep it off with a broom, upward only. The Scott Arboretum (Andrew Bunting, 2010) goes further for juniper, Leyland cypress and arborvitae: “it is advantageous to try to knock the snow from the branches to avoid the leaders from splaying open.” The Chicago Botanic Garden says the opposite on shaking: “Do not shake branches because they are brittle at this time of year and may break easily.” It wants a very gentle brush by hand or with a broom.

My reading is that upward sweeping is the one method all three can live with, because it lifts the load without jerking a cold, brittle branch. That is a judgment call, not a finding from any of them. The table lays out each situation.

The short version of the table: clear only fresh, heavy, wet snow, leave ice, frozen limbs and bowed-but-whole branches alone, and prune only once the damage is clear.

Why arborvitae and juniper break

Arborvitae and junipers fail in a specific way. Iowa State names multi-stemmed evergreens, “such as junipers and arborvitae,” as among the most prone to branch breakage, and warns that improper removal of ice and snow can increase the damage. The Scott Arboretum explains the mechanism: these plants have several leaders that “splay open in a heavy snow,” and the damage “can be irreparable.” Once the stems spread, they may not pull back together.

Colorado State’s PlantTalk adds the juniper detail: many upright junipers “can have vertical branches weighed down by snow that won’t return to the original position.” That is why the gentle-versus-rough question matters. A branch already stressed and bent is the one that snaps when you brush it downward. Iowa State’s warning is blunt: “Never brush downward – you risk breaking already bent and stressed branches.”

Pines fail differently. The Scott Arboretum says white pine and lacebark pine can lose whole limbs, with “large branches snapping off at the trunk,” while strong central-leader conifers such as fir and spruce “can be covered in snow without it causing a serious effect.” So spruce and fir are the lesser worry; arborvitae and juniper are the ones to watch.

After the storm, and next fall

Give it time. Iowa State says unbroken branches are flexible and may return to their original position over several weeks or months, and the Chicago Botanic Garden says bent upright evergreens “should eventually straighten themselves.” Once the damage is clear, Iowa State advises pruning broken tree limbs in late winter and, if needed, damaged shrubs in spring. Winter-burned foliage is a separate problem, and our guide to wrapping evergreens in burlap covers when that protection helps and when it traps moisture.

Prevention happens before the storm, ideally before winter. Iowa State says to tie up vulnerable plants such as arborvitae before a snow or ice storm, creating a cone shape that sheds snow more easily, using fabric strips, nylon hose or flexible cords rather than anything that could cut into bark. PlantTalk suggests tying upright junipers in a spiral with loose nylon rope before winter. Curtis Utley, a CSU Extension agent in Jefferson County, describes wide straps or light cord on upright junipers. Iowa State says to take the ties off after the risk of heavy snow passes for the season.

If you are still choosing plants, the juniper growing guide sorts ground covers from upright forms, and the notes on Green Giant arborvitae cover spacing and pruning for a common arborvitae hedge.

Sources

1. NOAA/NWS Grand Junction CO. Winter Storm Watch, issued Oct. 30, 2026, 12:22 PM MDT, in effect until Nov. 2, 2026. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
2. NOAA/NWS Grand Junction CO. Winter Weather Advisory, issued Oct. 30, 2026, 12:22 PM MDT, in effect until Nov. 2, 2026. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
3. NOAA/NWS Grand Junction CO. Area Forecast Discussion, 1159 PM MDT Fri Oct. 30, 2026. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
4. NOAA/NWS Denver/Boulder CO. Area Forecast Discussion, 1147 PM MDT Fri Oct. 30, 2026. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
5. Chicago Botanic Garden. Snow removal from shrubs (Plant Information). No author or date shown. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
6. Aaron Steil, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. How to Prevent Ice and Snow Damage on Trees and Shrubs, last reviewed Feb. 2024. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
7. Andrew Bunting, Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. Snow Load on Plants, Feb. 9, 2010. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
8. Colorado State University Extension, PlantTalk Colorado. Snow Impacts on Woody and Herbaceous Plants (article 1754). No date shown. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.
9. Curtis Utley, Colorado State University Extension, Jefferson County. Keep ‘Em on the Up and Up: Protecting Upright Evergreens from Snow-load Breakage, CO-Horts blog, Nov. 4, 2016. Viewed Oct. 31, 2026.