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...]
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...]
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...]