When you look at your landscape is it nicely arranged with all the plants in proportion? Or do you see a few plants that have grown out of hand and have started their quest for world domination in your yard? If it is the 2nd, it is likely some of those that have grown a little too well are cane type shrubs. … [Read more...]
Pruning to reduce regrowth
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...]
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...]
Spring Mugo pine care
Alright, I lied. Last time I said I would give you more smaller shade trees. That will have to wait a week. Instead of continuing with my theme from my last post, I am going to talk about spring Mugo pine care tasks to keep it looking nice and staying compact. I am changing subjects, because now is the time to do this in a lot of areas. First step in Mugo pine care The first thing you should do is to assess your mugo pine's current condition. There are three areas your should consider. They … [Read more...]
Rose care questions
"Hi, Jim. I have two questions related to roses. I have two varieties of roses in my flower bed, although I am not sure what variety either are. The one was purchased at the Chicago Botanical Garden a few years ago. It is blooming very well although I am not sure how to prune for the remainder of the season, then how to properly prune in preparation for the winter? The second rose bush (different variety, I believe) I thought I had removed from my garden 3 years ago, however the … [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...]
