Snow is a wonderful thing, as least it is if you don't have to drive in it. It transforms the drab and ordinary into the bright and extraordinary. It also insulates plants from the worst of the bitter cold. But there's snow, and then there's snow, specifically the heavy, wet kind (heart-attack snow) which, while great for making snowmen, can damage evergreens with its heavy weight.
If the snow is light and fluffy, I leave it on the plants as a pretty frosting. If it's heavy and weighing the branches down, it could cause permanent damage in the form of bent or broken branches. Removing the snow properly is very important, as the act of removal can cause even more damage than the snow.
First, the snow needs to be removed before it freezes and hardens onto the plant. (If your plants become encased in ice, don't try to remove it. Just wait for it to melt.)
Try dislodging the snow by gently shaking the branch. If that doesn't work, gently brush off the snow with a broom. Sometimes the lower branches get stuck to the ground under the snow. They can be brushed off and gently lifted. The key word here is gently .
before
Cold temperatures can cause branches to become brittle, and it's easy to want to rush through the job to get back inside to a nice hot cup of cocoa. Resist the urge. Taking the time to do it right will make you and your plants happier in the long run.
after
I hope that helps. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. (I mean about snow in the garden, snow shoveling, or even driving in snow, not questions about the names of the different types of snowflakes, or the amount of annual snowfall Greenland usually receives or anything like that.)