Winter Woes

My Weeping Cherry was beautiful in the spring of 2013.

It was a tough winter for my garden and every day that something leafs out and shows signs of life, I consider myself lucky. My Weeping Cherry that was beautiful last year and full of bees, has only a few flowers this year.


Lots of flowers and bees.



The spring of 2014 with few flowers and no bees.

I have walked the gardens and observed lots of winter cold damage. I never bury the canes of my climbing roses and this year I will need to cut them to the ground and start over. My Spireas have some new growth, but they will need to have a major pruning this year to clean out the dead. I have several Blue Atlas Cedars that are brown from the cold. It was a long cold winter and I can tell that I will have lots of gardening jobs ahead of me.


My Spirea with some new growth and lots of dead limbs.

What do you do when you have winter cold damage to your plants? The best thing you can do is remember that there was not much that you could have done to protect your plants from such extreme temperatures. The cold temperatures were more than many plants could take. Give your trees and shrubs time to grow, then you can see what needs to be done with each plant. Clean up, prune and cut back dead limbs as they leaf out or after flowering. I have given some shrubs and trees fertilizer to help with new growth. I figure that with many shrubs and trees, I will have limited flowers this year but it is more important to get that tree or shrub off to a good start for future growth.



My Leyland Cypress has lots of brown in it caused by the cold.





For those trees or shrubs that were damaged, do not be in a hurry to remove them from your garden. Fertilize them and wait to see if you get some new growth and be prepared to wait for several months for that growth. Then give the plant time to fill in. Prune or remove dead as needed. If your tree or shrub does not show growth after several months then consider it a winter loss. I plan to fertilize, water, wait and hope for the best!

Happy Gardening!
Debbie

Proper Pruning Techniques

I enjoy the beauty of a large Forsythia, Kerria or Flowering Quince in bloom in the spring. They can be beautiful plants when allowed to grow in a natural form. I have seen people prune them until they are just ugly, and that's just sad! If you learn nothing more about gardening, learn to prune correctly. Many times gardeners are afraid of pruning their shrubs and trees. You should never be afraid to prune and remember that you will not kill the plant if you make a mistake. Pruning is a good thing when done correctly. Pruning is the selective removal of plant parts to retain the natural shape of the plant the way nature intended. Pruning is designed to increase flowering and fruiting and encourage vigorous growth in old plants. Pruning is the removal of dead, broken, or crossed limbs and reducing or maintaining the plant size to improve the shape of the plant. Pruning is also the removal of plant parts that can damage property like your house. Do NOT prune late in the growing season. Evergreens should be pruned after low winter temperatures have passed such as late winter or spring. Start pruning a plant when it is young rather than waiting till it is old. You will have a better shaped plant because of it. It is a good idea to research the proper pruning procedures for the plant you want to prune. Some plants can bleed or may not be able to take a sever pruning. A good book for researching different plant needs is the "Ortho's All About Pruning" book. I would suggest that you add this book to your gardening library.

The proper tools for pruning are bypass pruners, loppers, pruning saw (hand or pole) and for big jobs a chain saw or chain saw on a pole. Hedge shears are for shearing NOT pruning. Most small jobs can be done with hand bypass pruners and loppers. NEVER use advil pruners. This type of pruner tends to crush stems as it cuts. Make sure you use the correct pruning tool for the size of limbs that you are cutting. Pruning cuts should be made close to the main stem or trunk and never leave stubs. Cut at an angle just about 1/4 inch above a bud. Make sure that your tools are kept sharp and clean. There are different types of pruning cuts like thinning, heading, lateral, pinching or shearing.

• Thinning Cuts - Removing stems to open up a plant and stimulate new growth.
• Heading Cuts - Remove the terminal bud by cutting anywhere on the main stem.
• Lateral Cuts - Cutting the main stem back to a branch or bud.
• Shearing - Shortening all stems by a certain amount using hedge shears.
• Pinching - Using your thumb and forefinger to remove the tip of the plant.

Trees

The two rules to always remember - NEVER top a tree and do not use pruning paint.
If the job it big, hire an arborist. You should always remove storm damaged limbs as soon as possible. Never prune near power lines. Prune shade trees and non-flowering trees during the dormant season. If you have a tree that produces fruit, prune for fruit production NOT flower production. Prune spring flowering trees AFTER they bloom. Summer flowering trees should be pruned BEFORE growth appears. Use a three step cut for cutting large branches of trees to prevent tearing of the bark. The first cut is on the underside of the branch at least half way into the branch. The second cut is cutting the entire branch in front of the first cut. The last cut is close to the tree trunk or tree collar. If you prune correctly the tree will heal properly.

Shrubs

If the shrub is a spring flowering shrub the best time to prune is after flowering. If you prune before flowering you may be cutting away your flowers for that season. If you have a summer flowering shrub, prune before the growth begins. Normally you want to remove dead, broken or crossed limbs. Crossed limbs are limbs that are crossing and touching each other. When the wind blows the limbs rub against each other creating wounds. You should make cuts close to the base of the shrub. If a shrub is old, you can do a renewal cut by removing 1/3 of the plant over three years. Cuts should be at ground level. Some shrubs can have a rejuvenation pruning where you cut 3/4 of the plant back to ground level and allow it to regrow.

Always remember that most pruning can be avoided by the proper placement of a shrub or tree at the time of planting. Allow plenty of space for a plant to grow. Always check plant tags for proper spacing. Prune your shrub or tree for a natural look like nature intended it.

The Creative Gardener

How to Replace a Terminal Leader

Missing terminal leader

New limb to replace terminal leader wired in place

Spruce is now taking on a more natural look as the new terminal leader grows into place.

If you have ever had a terminal leader in a spuce or pine lost due to storm damage or because the grower removed it, here is how you can grow a new terminal leader. When I purchased this Norway Spruce the terminal leader had been removed. I was able to purchase the tree at a really great price. The spruce had a nice all over shape minus the fact the pointed part of the top of the tree was missing (terminal leader). By selecting a branch next to where the original terminal leader was cut, I placed a bamboo stick and wired a new branch into the location of the missing terminal leader. I check the wires during the year to make sure that they are not cutting into the bark of the tree. It will take time to grow into the new terminal leader, but worth the wait to get a natural looking tree.

The Creative Gardener