I recently received this question from Wendy in Wisconsin, I have a 15 yr. old sargent crab apple, multi-trunked, planted 6 ft. from the house, under a large window 8 ft. from the ground. The hope was the tree wouldn't grow beyond 8 ft. in height, but it’s now more like 10 ft.…Last year, because the tree had grown above the bottom of the window, I pruned the ends of all the top branches (i.e. shortened the tree)… This year there is vigorous new growth (3-4 ft., with multiple branches from … [Read more...]
Search Results for: pruning
Three aesthetic pruning cuts
Last post, I discussed two goals of aesthetic pruning that I consider when pruning. Those being to make the tree smaller and also appear older. The first goal is probably not that surprising. Pruning is often used to control the size of plants. The other goal of making a tree appear to be older than it is, is probably a little more novel to most people. … [Read more...]
Aesthetic pruning goals for your garden sanctuary
Two aesthetic pruning goals come to mind when I am asked the following question: "How do you know what branch to cut?" That is the most frequent question I am asked when I am pruning anything at the garden. I can usually complete the sentence for them after the first three words. My usual smart alack response is "Well, the first one I cut off is the dead one." Probably not the most helpful I know, but it is actually true. There is a sequence of different types of branches to prune … [Read more...]
Crabapple Pruning in 4 Easy Steps: Overgrown Mess No More (Part 3 of 3)
Here is how our overgrown tree looked after steps 1, 2 and 3 of our crabapple pruning were completed. See Crabapple Pruning in 4 Easy Steps: Overgrown Mess No More (Part 1 of 3) and Crabapple Pruning in 4 Easy Steps: Overgrown Mess No More (Part 2 of 3) for details. Now, we will continue onto step 4 reducing overgrown branches. We will also cover the sometimes needed step of limbing up. … [Read more...]
Crabapple Pruning in 4 Easy Steps: Overgrown Mess No More (Part 2 of 3)
Here is how our overgrown tree looked after step 1 of our crabapple pruning was completed. See Crabapple Pruning in 4 Easy Steps: Overgrown Mess No More (Part 1 of 3) for details. Now, we will continue onto step 2, water sprout removal. … [Read more...]
Crabapple Pruning in 4 Easy Steps: Overgrown Mess No More (Part 1 of 3)
This flowering crabapple was left alone for 3 years with no pruning. Regular crabapple pruning is required to have a great looking tree. When pruning an overgrown tree like this after years of neglect, it is best to proceed one step at a time and address one type of defect at a time. … [Read more...]
Pruning Rhododendrons for dense growth
Mark recently sent me the following question regarding pruning rhododendrons via my Ask me a question page: "I have a number of large leaf Rhododendrons in my garden (Zone 5). "How do you prune them so that they stay compact and full?" I am assuming that the Rhododendrons that Mark has are the Catawba types. These include standbys such as 'English Roseum', 'Roseum Elegans', and ‘Nova Zembla’. These are the most common type sold in the Midwest, besides the smaller leafed PJM types. They … [Read more...]
Pruning a Dwarf River Birch (Betula nigra ‘Little King’)
Betula nigra, the river birch, is a very common shade tree in the Midwest. This is especially so since the introduction in 1979 and gradual recognition of the Heritage River birch cultivar (Betula nigra ‘Cully’), which culminated in it winning the 2002 Urban Tree of the Year award as determined by responses to an annual survey in arborist magazine City Trees. This magazine serves as Journal to The Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) and it’s readers select a new tree to honor each year. … [Read more...]
Pruning
All plants grow (except plastic and dead ones). Most plants will outgrow their spot in your garden if left to their own devices. We have all seen the transformation when the neighbors overgrown foundation plants are removed. However, we often don't realize how much better our yards and gardens can look when plants are regularly pruned. I provide expert aesthetic pruning to not only keep your plants in scale with your garden, but to bring out the best in each plant as well as the entire … [Read more...]
Japanese Garden Pruning
Whether you had a Landscaper build your Japanese garden or you did it yourself, you are probably aware that it is not all it can be. One reason for this may be the lack of one element that is critical for your Japanese style garden to look it's best. This element is expert quality tree and shrub pruning. With close to a decade of experience as a pruner at the highly regarded Anderson Japanese Gardens, I have an idea of how proper pruning can raise the quality of your garden greatly. So … [Read more...]