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| salt damage on yews |
It's simple! Just be sure to use LOTS of salt to de-ice the walkways near them. Come spring, you will have something unique: striped evergreens! Actually, excessive use will also damage trees, perennials, and lawns, with newly planted things at highest risk.
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| salt damage on boxwoods |
Better to use as little of the salt product as possible, and only after removing as much as you can of the ice and snow by other means. Definitely don't pile salty snow on top of plantings. You can also mix salt with sand or kitty litter (the cheap unscented kind); 50 pounds of sand mixed with 1 pound of salt will work to improve traction. A dilute mixture such as this won't do much to melt snow and ice.
When spring returns, flush the area heavily to help wash remaining salts out of the root zone. There are plenty of trees, shrubs, and perennials that are salt tolerant. Here's a link to a great article on winter salt injury as well as a comprehensive list of salt-tolerant landscape plants:
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