To prune or not to prune…
Posted by Sarah on October 9th 2009 in blog
This week in the Twin Cities, fall announced its arrival with a series of chilly winds and down pours. Leaves are starting to change color and our gardens have finally been battered into submission by the rigors of autumn. All week long, customers at Sunnyside Gardens have asked a simple question: When do I prune my shrubs? Here are a few tidbits.
Why prune? The proper pruning of shrubs is a vital component to the longevity of your landscape. Pruning is the act of removing any portion of your plant for a specific purpose such as health, appearance, or bloom. Although pruning varies with each variety of shrub, every garden no matter the size can benefit from seasonal pruning maintenance. By removing dead or dying branches, a gardener can reduce the risk of insect infestation, disease (mold, etc.), and encourage more blooms.
When do I prune? The timing is everything.
-If your shrub blooms off of old wood in the spring (magnolia, forsythia, rhododendron, azalea, lilac), prune immediately after it flowers. If you prune in mid to late summer you’ll chop off the following year’s buds.
-If your shrub blooms mid-summer or late summer (potentilla, rose, weigla, mock orange), prune in the spring.
-For shrubs and vines that only bloom off of new growth (clematis, spirea, hydrangea), prune before the growing season heats up.
-Shrubs grown for their foliage or colorful stems and branches (sumac, smoke bush, purple sand cherry, ninebark, dogwood, barberry, willow), should be pruned before the growing season.
-Evergreens such as arborvitae, juniper, yew, and hemlocks can be pruned up until mid summer.
-For overgrown or older shrubs, remove one-third of the oldest and thickest stems and trunks, cutting them down to the ground. This will promote new growth.
How to prune? To shorten a branch or stem, cut it back to side branches or cut ¼ inch above the bud.
Tools? A bypass pruner, lopping shears (long handled), or saw.
Winter Interest? Some shrubs like dogwood, hydrangea, and winterberry offer gardens a splash of color and texture in our long snowy months. Leaving them up will not hurt them.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 11:32 am and is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
