Keep an eye on your trees and shrubs over the winter and remove excessive buildups of snow or ice as the weight can cause limbs to break. This is most important for deciduous plants. Coniferous trees like spruce and fir, which are native to the St. John's area, have evolved with a slim, conical shape that helps them shed snow and ice naturally.

Believe it or not, the sun can damage trees during the winter. On sunny winter days the sun can heat up bark tricking the tree into thinking spring has arrived. When the sun goes down, and the temperature suddenly drops, the tree can't re-enter dormancy quick enough to protect itself. The affected part of the tree freezes causing bark damage known as sun scald. This is particularly common in young trees planted in areas exposed to the sun and trees with thinner bark such as cherry, crabapple, plum, maple, linden, mountain ash, or honey locust.

To protect your tree against the winter sun, wrap the trunk of the tree with burlap for two to five years after planting. A similar process to sunscald occurs in conifers when the trees needles are stimulated by warm winter sun and die when the sunlight and heat are quickly removed. Winter winds also strip moisture from needles which can't be replaced while roots are inactive.

To protect your trees against the winter sun and wind wrap the entire crown of coniferous trees with burlap or similar landscape fabrics for two to five years after planting. Tree wrap is available at your local nursery or garden centre.