Winters can be very stressful on plants. Excessive moisture loss can be caused by bitter winter winds and by the freeze thaw cycle that occurs when warm, sunny days are followed by harsh cold nights.

Too much moisture loss throughout these cold months can weaken and even kill plants. Before the ground freezes make sure that your trees, shrubs and perennials are well watered. Young evergreen trees and evergreen shrubs can be particularly sensitive to drying out. Their roots cannot distribute water to the plant, yet their foliage can dry out from the sun and bitter winter winds.

A little time and effort on your part can help your evergreen trees and shrubs survive a harsh winter. Wilt-Pruf is a protective coating that can be purchased at garden centers. It holds in moisture and substantially reduces water loss, helping ease the stress that can be caused by a harsh winter. The product is natural and is derived from the resin of pine trees. Wilt-Pruf should be applied before the temperatures fall below freezing.

Weather extremes and wildlife can also be tough on smooth bark trees and some shrubs. Some trees are damaged by sunscald. Sunscald is damaging of the tree bark. It is caused by the sun in late winter or early spring. The sun heats up the bark during the day and freezing temperatures at night then damage the cells. Using a tree wrap or some type of shading for the bark will prevent this damage from occurring. Tree wrap can be put on during October or November, and should be removed in the spring. Leaving the tree wrap on once the weather warms up is not healthy for trees as insects can get in between the wrap and the tree bark causing problems.

Rabbits, voles, mole and other small creatures may chew the bark of tender trees and shrubs. Tree wrap will also help prevent damage from these creatures. If you have shrubs that cannot be wrapped or the shrubs have flower buds waiting for spring, enclose the shrub in chicken wire to protect then. If it is a cold and snowy winter deer and rabbits are likely to nibble on almost anything. If you are concerned about any small shrub becoming deer or rabbit food, make sure you protect it.

Donna Evans is co-owner of Gizmo Creations, http://www.gizmocreations.com, a landscape and website design firm located just north of Brainerd, Minnesota. Gizmo Creations' website contains an assortment of sample landscape plans, and has a open forum for questions on plants and landscape design.