Both will straighten on their own.

I would advise that you go out and shake them when exposed to heavy wet snow. Don't let it build up. Then you can put you concerns to rest.

Dave

Thanks for the feedback.

The 'Karl Fuchs' unfortunately won't straighten up on it's own. It came shaped like a bow (a horizontal one) but I didn't know that because of the 5' long bamboo stake fixed to it. I had loosely staked it to promote movement while keeping it pointed in a generally vertical direction. After this snowfall though, I cut it loose to spread any snow loads over it's full height rather than just the top 1/2. I'll fix it upright again in the spring....

My P. bungeana did fine....it was warm enough that the branches were still flexible. 5 degrees colder and P. bungeana gets really stiff and brittle. ditto for my Ilex and Sciadopitys.

i dont do any of them.. in my version of z5 ....

in case any newb's are thinking they are bulletproof in z5 ...

its all about microclimate ...

ken