Sorry about your freak snowstorm. Another GW'er was out of touch for a few days, and her furnace was destroyed by a foot of water in the basement, but when she and her husband were moving the old furnace out, they saw a hummingbird in the back yard.

Go ahead and cut the Miscanthus back now. It won't hurt it.

Thanks Donn, for getting back so soon.

We will cut it down this weekend.

Do you happen to know anything about trees? We want to get ones that lose their leaves very early. I quess now would be a good time to go to the garden centers to look!

Thanks again...

"I quess now would be a good time to go to the garden centers to look!"

Bingo!

I wouldn't worry so much about finding trees that lose their leaves early. Look for small-leaved open canopy trees.

Also keep in mind that this was a freak storm. How many times has it happened in the past 50 years?

Dreadful about all those poor trees :o(
About 10 years ago we had a smaller version of the 'early snowstorm' and there was some advantage to smaller trees. In my crazed state trying to protect my garden, I was outside every couple of hours shaking all the smaller trees and shrubs to keep them as snow-free as possible. This you sure can't do with bigger stiffer trees.

I suppose on the plus side you will have more sun in your yard now and could grow many more ornametal grasses!!!
a.

Thanks, Donn

Donn,Can you recommend small-leaved open canopy trees for our area?

I heard on the news this kind of storm happen 100 years ago to the day of ours. Weird...

achnatherum, I do love ornamental grasses, but we have alot of perennials (shade loving ones) back there by our trees and I don't know if they will be able to take the sun. I quess we will have to wait till spring. We still have to cut the broken limbs down that are still in the trees.

I do love a shaded yard not all sun, I heard on TV last night The hole in our OZONE is the size of North America! Scarry... We will need all the shade trees if that keeps getting any bigger!

Here is a link that might be useful: OZONE

I'm sure you can get lots of tree advice on the 'tree' forum but since we are in similar growing zones I can give you my 2 cents on the subject. Keeping in mind that you would like trees that have an earlier leaf drop and are flexible rather than brittle - I have two suggestions for you.
Service berry - Amelanchier species - one of the first trees in my yard to drop their leaves. It is a really lovely small tree that can be bought as a single trunk tree or a multiple stemmed tree. Gives a nice dappled shade that you can grow plants under (important) and the roots are fairly deep. I grow bulbs, a large patch of fall-blooming japanese anemones & several oak-leaved hydrangeas under a grouping of four of these trees

Ostrya virginiana - American Hophornbeam
Native mid-sized tree, lovely shaggy bark, beautiful shape. Not often grown as an 'open' yard tree but those I have seen are gorgeous. One of those 'WHAT IS THAT???!!' kinds of tree. :o) Dirr, my tree guru, says that the fall colour is yellow but, seldom effective _because the leaves drop so early_ ~ just what you want.

Good luck with your yard. Trees are always the hardest things to loose. BUT, such is the life of a gardener we all have to be optimists cause mother nature is a tough gal to work with.
A.

achnatherum, Thank you, so much for that information!

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