Pruning

PRUNING SHRUBS: One of the best ways to create a sustainable landscape is to prune appropriately. Proper pruning can lengthen the life of a plant. Different species of shrubs not only require different pruning techniques but there are appropriate times to prune woody plants, even within a species.

SHEARING: The most common technique is shearing or more affectionately coined "hack and whack". There are only a few shrubs that respond well to being cut back hard like this every season. Generally they are ones that bloom in the summer on new wood i.e., Spirea japonica (not the early blooming bridal wreath varieties), Ribes - alpine currant and Hydrangea aborescens 'Annabelle' the "mop head" hydrangea.

REJUVENATION PRUNING: Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique', 'Tardiva' and the like respond better to opening up the plant so that a butterfly could fly through it. First remove any dead, diseased or crossing branches. Then tip growth can be cut back to a strong leader to encourage sturdier branching to support the blooms. Other shrubs that respond well to this are Cornus - dogwood, Roses, Weigela

EVERGREENS: May and early June is a wonderful time to prune evergreens and many Taxus - yews, Buxus - boxwood and Alberta Spruce need it this season as they experienced a lot of tip browning or winter sun scald. Many times taking out long branches all the way back to a notch opens up overgrown evergreens and helps them put out new green growth. Evergreens do not respond favorably to "hack and whack".

SPRING BLOOMERS: Lilacs, Forsythia, Azalea, Rhododendron, Magnolia, etc. should be pruned with rejuvenation pruning right after flowering. With Lilacs it is suggested that 1/3 of the oldest canes be removed every year to help their flowering.

Tell Me About Your Shrubs

In my yard, the native Elderberry – Sambucus has a wonderful white flower on it as does my Regent Serviceberry – Amelanchier. I love this small hedging serviceberry as it next develops purple berries then has red foliage in the fall. Three bangs for your buck! I sure hope my dogs don’t eat the berries of the serviceberry this year! J My forsythia is just starting to fade but the lilacs are beginning to swell! My friend Douglas described it as all “this abundance as the earth wakes up and so much life comes spilling out, so much like an explosion, yet so artfully orchestrated”. I do not have the correct site for rhododendron, so I am not even going to try anymore. They really want to be.

What shrubs do you have in your yard/garden? What do you like about them?