Shoveling in single-digit temperatures after the colossal winter storm this weekend, I dumped mounds of snow onto my garden beds, knowing it would protect my trees, shrubs and dormant perennials.
When the ground repeatedly freezes and thaws, as it does over winter in cold climates, that can squeeze roots, seeds, bulbs, tubers and rhizomes right out of the earth. Once exposed, they can be killed off by cold, drying winds.
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Snow covers bergamot stalks in a garden after a winter storm in Westchester County, N.Y.,, on Jan 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)
Snow covers bergamot stalks in a garden after a winter storm in Westchester County, N.Y.,, on Jan 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)
A mound of snow insulates dormant sedums in a garden bed in Long Island, N.Y., after a winter storm. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
Snow covers bergamot stalks in a garden after a winter storm in Westchester County, N.Y.,, on Jan 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)
But snow cover provides a heavy blanket of winter mulch that insulates the soil, prevents heat from escaping and keeps soil temperatures from seesawing. And as it melts, snow will not only water your garden but fertilize it with plant-boosting nitrogen absorbed from the air on its way to earth.
It’s a perfect display of nature taking care of itself.
On the downside, the same heavy blanket that keeps plants warmly tucked in can spell disaster for evergreen trees like arborvitae and Leyland cypress. When wet snow accumulates on trees, its weight can bend, buckle or snap branches. And if you don’t remove it, it can permanently disfigure them.
We can help by gently knocking snow off branches with a long-handled broom. Under normal circumstances, I do this after the storm ends. But during extended snowfalls, I go out during the storm, as well, to keep on top of the accumulation. Trees are expensive, so I’d rather brave the elements than have to replace them.
When water or accumulated snow freezes into ice, however, it’s best to leave the branches be. Attempts to crack or knock ice off plants risk further damaging bark and other delicate plant parts. All we can do is allow it to melt naturally and hope for the best.
After removing snow from walkways and driveways, it’s good practice to apply rock salt to prevent ice from forming. But choosing a product can be confusing.
Magnesium chloride is the best choice, as it dissolves quickly to coat and melt ice, works in temperatures as cold as 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit and is less likely to burn pets’ paws. It’s also the safest for your plants, which become exposed to the product via wind, soil runoff, melting snow and splashing slush, as well as deliberate snow dumping.
One drawback, however, is that magnesium chloride is also the most expensive of the commonly available ice-melt products. If your coverage area is so large that using it exclusively becomes too expensive, consider using it in areas adjacent to plants and where pets will be exposed. Then, opt for my second choice, calcium chloride, in less-trafficked areas and those away from lawns and gardens.
You’ll often see calcium chloride marketed as pet- and plant-safe, but it still can damage plants and irritate pets’ (and your own) paws. Wear gloves when handling it. If you must use it near plants, apply sparingly. And rinse pets’ paws after exposure.
As a gardener, you might recognize the chemical name of another type of rock salt, potassium chloride. Although it’s also a component of balanced fertilizers (the K in N-P-K ratios), the amounts needed to melt ice can actually harm or kill plants, so avoid using it as a deicer.
Sodium chloride is the cheapest of the bunch, but the worst choice for plants, pets and the environment. It can corrode cars, crack concrete, and poison wildlife, plants and trees.
When applying any ice-melt product, always use the least amount necessary, as they all have some potential to damage masonry. Applying a waterproofing sealant to driveways and walkways during warmer weather will help protect against ice-related cracks for several years.
Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.
Snow covers bergamot stalks in a garden after a winter storm in Westchester County, N.Y.,, on Jan 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)
Snow covers bergamot stalks in a garden after a winter storm in Westchester County, N.Y.,, on Jan 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)
A mound of snow insulates dormant sedums in a garden bed in Long Island, N.Y., after a winter storm. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
Snow covers bergamot stalks in a garden after a winter storm in Westchester County, N.Y.,, on Jan 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump softened his tone Monday on the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, touting productive conversations with the governor and Minneapolis mayor as he sent the border czar to take charge of much of the enforcement effort. Some federal agents were expected to leave as soon as Tuesday.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he spoke by phone with Trump, who praised the discussion that declared that “lots of progress is being made." Frey said he asked Trump in a phone call to end the immigration enforcement surge and that Trump agreed the present situation cannot continue.
The mayor said some agents would soon leave and that he would keep pushing for others involved in Operation Metro Surge to go.
Among those who are expected to depart was senior Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the operation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Bovino has been at the center of the administration’s aggressive enforcement surge in cities nationwide. His departure marks a significant public shift in federal law enforcement posture amid mounting outrage over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.
Bovino's leadership of highly visible federal crackdowns, including operations that sparked mass demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and Minneapolis, has drawn fierce criticism from local officials, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats.
Criticism has increased around Bovino in the last few days after his public defense of the Pretti shooting and disputed claims about the confrontation that led to his death.
The border czar, Tom Homan, will take charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota.
In other developments, Trump declared that he was now on a “similar wavelength” as the governor following the second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers this month.
Trump and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz spoke in a phone call and later offered comments that were a marked change from the critical statements they have exchanged in the past. Their conversation happened on the same day a federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit aimed at halting the federal immigration enforcement surge in the state.
“We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” the president wrote in a social media post.
Walz, in a statement, said the call was “productive" and that impartial investigations into the shootings were needed. Trump said his administration was looking for “any and all” criminals the state has in their custody. Walz said the state Department of Corrections honors federal requests for people in its custody.
Meanwhile, attorneys for the administration, the state and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul appeared Monday before U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, who is considering whether to grant requests to temporarily halt the immigration operation.
She said the case was a priority, though she issued no immediate ruling.
Lawyers for the state and the Twin Cities argued the situation on the street is so dire it requires the court to halt the federal government’s enforcement actions.
“If this is not stopped right here, right now, I don’t think anybody who is seriously looking at this problem can have much faith in how our republic is going to go in the future,” Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said.
The judge questioned the government’s motivation behind the crackdown and expressed skepticism about a letter recently sent by Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The letter asked the state to give the federal government access to voter rolls, to turn over state Medicaid and food assistance records, and to repeal sanctuary policies.
“I mean, is there no limit to what the executive can do under the guise of enforcing immigration law?” Menendez asked. She noted that the federal requests are the subject of litigation.
Brantley Mayers, a Justice Department attorney, said the government's goal is to enforce federal law. Mayers said one lawful action should not be used to discredit another lawful action.
“I don’t see how the fact that we’re also doing additional things that we are allowed to do, that the Constitution has vested us with doing, would in any way negate another piece of the same operation, the same surge,” Mayers said.
Menendez questioned where the line was between violating the Constitution and the executive's power to enforce the law. She also asked whether she was being asked to decide between state and federal policies.
“That begins to feel very much like I am deciding which policy approach is best,” she said.
At one point, while discussing the prospect of federal officers entering residences without a warrant, the judge expressed reluctance to decide issues not yet raised in a lawsuit before her.
“I can’t be the global keeper of all things here. Like, presumably that will be litigated," she said to the state's attorney.
Menendez made it clear that she was struggling with how to rule because the case is so unusual, and there are few precedents.
"It’s because this is important that I’m doing everything I can to get it right,” she said.
The state of Minnesota and the cities sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. The shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer on Saturday added urgency to the case.
Trump posted Monday on social media that Homan would report directly to him.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Homan would be “the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis” during continued operations by federal immigration officers.
In court Monday, an attorney for the administration said about 2,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were on ground, along with at least 1,000 Border Patrol officers.
The lawsuit asks the judge to order a reduction in the number of federal law enforcement officers and agents in Minnesota back to the level before the surge and to limit the scope of the enforcement operation.
The case has implications for other states that have been or could become targets of ramped-up federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.
In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, issued an order late Saturday blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday's shooting. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect.
A hearing in that case was scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.
Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jack Brook in Minneapolis and Mike Catlaini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
FILE - U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino walks through a Target store Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)
A man, center left, next to a Minneapolis police officer grabs a protester in the doorway during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Federal agents try to clear demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A federal agent points a weapon at a person outside a hotel during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A federal agent stands guard near a hotel during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks during a news conference in Blaine, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Attorney General Keith Ellison, right, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz give a news conference in Blaine, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
