The second type of winter gardening is to actually get out into the yard and do some work. Of course if it’s bitter cold, you would be better to wait for a good day. Winter is a good time to do some pruning if the temperatures are around thirty degrees (-1) or above. I don’t recommend pruning if it’s considerably below freezing because the wood is brittle and can shatter when you make your cuts.

Pruning an ornamental tree

www.ecolandscapegroup.com Ornamental trees describe trees that are smaller and usually have a flower or nice growing habit that make them ideal as a focal point in a landscape. this video tutorial shows hoe to prune a crabapple in Jackson, Wyoming. I…

One of the advantages of pruning during the winter is that you can see much better what needs to be pruned out and what should stay. At least that is true with deciduous plants. The other advantage is that the plants are dormant and won’t mind doing a little work on them.

Ornamental trees should be pruned to remove competing branches. Weeping Cherries, Flowering Dogwood, Flowering Crabapples etc. tend to send branches in many different directions. That’s your job to decide how you want the plant to look and then start pruning to achieve that look.

First stick your head in the tree and see what you can eliminate from there. This is like looking under the hood.  When you do you’ll see a lot of small branches that have been starved of sunlight that certainly doesn’t add anything to the tree. They are just there and should be cut out.

A few things to look for are branches that grow toward the centre of the tree where it’ll get little sunlight should be cut. Where there are 2 branches that are crossing, 1 of them should be eliminated. When the inside of the plant is cleaned up, you can start shaping the outside.

Shaping the outside is actually quite easy. Just picture how you want the plant to look and picture imaginary lines of the final sketch of the plant. Cut something that’s outside of these imaginary lines. It’s also important to the ends of branches that haven’t yet reached these imaginary lines in order to force the plant to fill cut.

For the most part plants have 2 types of growth: terminal branches & side branches. Each branch has 1 terminal bud at the end, & numerous side branches along the sides. The terminal buds grow in an outward direction away from the plant. Left uncut they just keep growing in the same direction.  Left on their own the plant grows tall and very thin. That’s why the trees in the woods are so thin and not very attractive compared to a properly pruned tree.

If you cut a branch on a tree, the tree sets new buds just below where you cut. When you remove the terminal BUD the tree will set multiple buds, it is how you make a tree nice and full. Don’t be afraid to trim your trees, they’ll be much nicer because of it. The more you trim them, they richer they become.

Lots of people have a real problem with this. They just can not bring themselves to prune. Especially when it comes to plants like Japanese Red Maples. It kills them to think about pruning a tree like this. Just do it! You’ll have a beautiful tree because of its.

Look at the system objectively. If you’ve a branch that looks like it grows too far in the wrong direction just prune it. If you make a mistake it’ll grow back. Cutting isn’t the only mistake you can make.

I hope this helps and doesn’t get you in trouble with your significant other. Many a family feud has started over pruning.

Gardening: Pruning : How to Prune Ornamental Plum Trees

Pruning an ornamental plum tree while it is dormant in the winter will encourage more fruit production for the spring and summer. Thin out the top of a plum tree to expose more sunlight to the inner branches with instructions from a sustainable garde…

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Growth rate, leaves, flowers and fruit

It is a hedge that will grow in conditions other hedges dread. Many people refer to it as a weed because of how well it grows.  Whether the situation is full sun, partial shade, deep shade, damp soil or dry soil, laurel will do well. Space laurel plants at 2ft centres in a row to run the length of your hedge. This hedging plant does not exactly possess the “Formula 1″ growth rate of the Leylandii (Leyland Cyprus), you can realistically expect it to grow 1ft a year once established. With large, leathery, dark green leaves, many believe the foliage is superior to that of the Leylandii, It is more attractive and will reflect extra light into your garden due to sheen on the leaves upper surface.

When and how to trim

I am often asked when is the best time of year to attempt the trimming of your laurel hedge. Well, in this area from April to the end of July is the time of year when most of the growth happens.  It does grow throughout the rest of the year but at a very slow rate compared to that period.

So, a good time to trim your laurel hedging plants is in August, September or October.  You can trim  at other times of the year and many people do.  In fact, many people have their hedges trimmed twice or even three times a year to keep them looking great throughout the year.  However, the earlier they are trimmed in the summer, the earlier they will put on fresh growth to cover your trimming cuts. Try to trim laurel during a dry spell, as a bacterium know as Pseudomonas syringae can enter through trimming cuts created in damp weather. This unpleasant bacterium leads to the laurel dieback disease called bacterial canker. Trimming laurel with gas or electric hedge-trimmers are the fastest way to trim your hedge but some people with lots of time still use secateurs instead.

Do you need to transplant some Laurel?  Well, Laurel plants tend to tolerate transplanting better in early spring or in early autumn.

If you need help with your hedge trimming in Powell River just give me a call and I’ll be glad to help you out.

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In my last post I talked about gutters on one of my client’s homes being clogged constantly by the needles that are falling from a fir tree that is right next to her home.

Trees are beautiful and offer a lot of value to a home but they can cause damage to a home in many ways, too, including dropping their debris on the roof constantly, their roots can damage foundations, basements, side walks, driveways, water and sewer lines.

And, worst of all, they can crush a home by falling on it in a high wind.

If you can spot a crack or other damage in a tree before it falls then it is often time to take it out before it causes damage to your home or property.

Now, when the tree is only 10 – 15 feet tall it is fairly easy and straightforward as to how to cut it down and turn it into firewood.

But, when the tree is a 100 – 150 feet tall fir or cedar how can you cut it down and not have it end up crushing your home?

Well, watch this video below and you’ll see how some professional foresters remove three hazard trees which were ready to fall.  The trees were very close to buildings in a kids camp.  It is absolutely amazing to see how precise and careful they are.

Warning: Don’t try this at home on your own!  Call in the professionals.

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