Well pruned shrubs and trees are a hallmark of a carefully tended yard or garden. Foundation plantings are lush and full, and blooming shrubs display their blossoms on shapely branches that accentuate each plant’s unique style.

In addition to proper planting, watering, and fertilizing; pruning is an important practice for promoting plant health and enhancing the natural size and shape of landscape plants. Pruning is easy—a basic understanding of plant growth, and a few simple techniques, and you’ll be ready to go.

Tools

Most pruning tools have an arc-shaped blade, which makes short work of slicing through small branches. “Scissor action” pruners involve two sharp blades sliding past each other “Anvil cut” pruners have one blade slicing against a wide, flat surface. While scissor action pruners are more expensive, they usually make the cleanest, closest cuts.

Hedge clippers have long, straight blades. They are used for cutting small, green branches and tips and are best reserved for shearing formal hedges. Pruning saws come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with blades designed for larger branches and small trunks.

Make sure blades are kept sharp and oil them periodically. To prevent the spread of plant diseases, clean and disinfect pruning tools after use.

Proper Timing

Spring-flowering shrubs, such as these, should be pruned immediately after blooming:

• Andromeda
• Azalea
• Chinese Redbud
• Fringe Tree
• Kerria
• Mock Orange
• Philadelphus
• Pieris
• Roses
• Spiraea (early varieties)
• Mountain Laurel
• Viburnum
• Syringa (Lilac)
• Japanese Quince
• Pearlbush
• Star magnolia
• Weigela
• Rhododendron
• Deutzia
• Forsythia
• Lonicera

Shrubs that bloom in summer and fall, and shrubs grown primarily for their foliage, can be pruned in early spring, before growth starts:

• Abelia
• Callicarpa (Beauty Berry)
• Hydrangea
• Spirea (late varieties)
• Summersweet
• Crape Myrtle
• Snowberry
• Barberry
• Lagerstroemia
• Boxwood
• Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)
• Clethra
• Hypericum
• Bluebeard
• Shrub Althea
• Coralberry
• Chaste Tree
• Hibiscus
• Privet
• Ilex (Holly)

The soft, green growing tip of a branch is called the “terminal bud.” This bud produces a hormone that affects the growth of side branches. The biology of basic pruning is simple: if you remove the terminal bud, the lateral buds below your cut will be stimulated to grow into more branches. If you leave the terminal bud, the branch will grow longer instead of thicker.

Choosing the Branches

Start by removing any of the branches illustrated below that don’t belong.

Next, look at your shrub with a critical eye while considering the following questions:

• What is this shrub’s natural size and shape (rounded, arching, tree-like)?
• What is the design purpose of this shrub (hedge, foundation planting, specimen plant)?
• Does the plant growth need to be influenced to achieve that purpose?
• Is the shrub healthy and growing evenly?

A well-pruned shrub looks natural, and in most cases doesn’t look like it has been pruned at all. If a shrub’s natural shape does not suit your taste or needs, consider moving it and planting one that is better suited for that location.

Making the Cuts

There are five basic techniques for pruning shrubs. Most pruning jobs will involve a combination of techniques.

1. Pinching back: Simply use your fingers to pinch off the terminal bud of the branch. This will encourage lateral branches to form and can be a great way to prevent more pruning later on.
2. Heading back: This method removes the terminal bud, resulting in more branches. Cut the branch at an angle, about ¼” above a branch bud and sloping down and away from the bud. The branches about 6” to 8” below your cut will be stimulated the most, so keep that in mind when choosing where to cut. The bud nearest the cut determines the direction the branch grows, with the outward facing bud usually resulting in the best shape. If a heading cut is made in the middle of a branch with no bud, the result will be a flush of growth at the site of the cut.

1. Thinning: Thinning involves removing branches while leaving the terminal bud. Make the cut just outside the branch collar, which is the bulge where the branch meets the stem, but don’t leave a stub. Thinning can produce a more open, shapely plant, without altering its overall size, shape, or growth habit.
2. Renewal or rejuvenation pruning: Renewal pruning involves removing the oldest stems and branches at the base, then thinning or heading back the younger stems to promote regrowth. With rejuvenation pruning, the entire shrub is cut to stubs less than 12”. This drastic measure is usually done if a shrub has become an overgrown, tangled mass that is not blooming well.
3. Shearing: Shearing involves trimming off the tips of branches and is best used only for formal hedges. Shearing alters the shrub’s natural shape and promotes thick growth only on the exterior of the plant, which results in dead foliage and lack of growth on the interior branches.

For most shrubs, pruning is a forgiving task – once you learn how each plant grows, you can correct previous pruning mistakes as you go. With a little practice, pruning becomes intuitive and is a quick way to revitalize your yard or garden.

By: Julie Day

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Do you have a shrub that’s so overgrown that it’s growing into your house, impeding on a walkway, or growing into other plants?  Before removing the shrub, consider rejuvenation pruning.  There are two types of rejuvenation pruning.  The first type, extensive rejuvenation pruning, is the practice of cutting the whole shrub to a height of 4-10 inches.  After the cut, the shrub will immediately start growing new, healthy, vigorous shoots which give the shrub a new, manageable look with increased flowering.  Examples of shrubs that respond well to extensive rejuvenation pruning are: dogwood, spirea, potentilla, honeysuckle, hydrangea, lilac, forsythia, and weigela.

If you don’t like the drastic visual change that extensive rejuvenation pruning results in, there is a second type of rejuvenation pruning called gradual rejuvenation pruning.  Over a period of three years, you gradually remove 1/3 of the oldest stems every year until you have a fully rejuvenated shrub.  This method takes longer to complete, but will leave you with a shrub that stays more attractive throughout the rejuvenation period.  Using both rejuvenation pruning methods will leave you with the same result; a new, vigorous, healthy plant which can be easily maintained in its natural form.  Most of the shrubs that respond well to extensive rejuvenation pruning will also respond well to gradual rejuvenation pruning.  Some different shrubs that respond better to gradual rejuvenation pruning are: purple sand cherry, cotoneaster, burning bush, many viburnum, and with hazel.

There are a few things to keep in mind with rejuvenation pruning:

1.  Not all shrubs respond well.  Avoid rejuvenation pruning to junipers, boxwood, narrow leaved evergreens, and shrubs that have only one primary trunk.  Spring flowering shrubs won’t flower the year the rejuvenation cut is made.
2.  Timing is important.  Although rejuvenation pruning can be done with some shrubs right after flowering, the best time is late winter of right before bud break.
3.  Give special attention to heavily pruned shrubs.  Do to the stress that some shrubs receive during heavy cutbacks, watering and fertilizer can be very important.

Rejuvenation pruning and renewal pruning are two techniques that can reduce the size and volume of many shrubs without unduly harming them. Which is more appropriate in a given situation will depend on the plant species, the shrub’s function in the landscape, and the wishes of the property owner.

Lilacs following rejuvenation pruning and regrowth

Shrubs are important components of residential and public landscapes. They are used to block views, create privacy, establish borders, and provide interesting foliage and flowers. Too often, shrubs are planted and then allowed to grow with little or no management. If pruned at all, they are typically subjected to periodic shearing. Eventually many shrubs grow too big for their site or for the plant structure itself. Now that winter is over, we see them everywhere we look: big, unruly, overgrown shrubs.

Rejuvenation Pruning

Rejuvenation pruning is the more severe of the two techniques, and not all species can tolerate it. Plants that are stressed or in poor health may not survive this severe level of pruning. In rejuvenation pruning, the shrub is pruned by cutting off all old branches at or near ground level. Healthy shrubs will respond by sending up multiple new shoots, and these will need to be thinned to reduce competition and maintain the natural form of the shrub. One benefit of rejuvenation pruning is its immediacy; when the job is done, that ugly overgrown shrub is literally gone. This is, of course, also a drawback since what is left behind is an unsightly stump, at least until new growth ensues.

Deciduous shrubs that can tolerate rejuvenation pruning include Tartarian and redstem dogwood, forsythia, rose of Sharon, hydrangea, privet, honeysuckle, elderberry, spirea, and lilac. Butterfly bush and Chastetree (Vitex) can be pruned annually in this manner once we are past danger of a hard frost.  Callicarpa can be rejuvenated by pruning to 12 inches rather than cutting at ground level. Evergreen shrubs will not tolerate rejuvenation pruning.

Renewal Pruning

Renewal pruning is a gentler approach to dealing with an overgrown shrub, but it is a process that takes several years. In renewal pruning, about one-third of older wood is removed each season over three years, primarily by using thinning cuts back to the crown or main stem. This approach maintains the overall shape of the shrub while reducing its volume and height over time. In response to this pruning, and as light is allowed to penetrate the canopy, many new shoots may be initiated. As in rejuvenation pruning, these new shoots will need to be thinned. Although renewal pruning takes longer to complete, the visual impact on the landscape is much less than rejuvenation pruning.

Many deciduous shrubs respond well to renewal  pruning, including barberry, beautybush, cinquefoil, pyracantha, forsythia, honeysuckle, hydrangea, lilac, mockorange, privet (use a 4-year cycle), flowering quince, spirea, and weigela.  Renewal pruning can also be used on some evergreen shrubs such as boxwood, cherry laurel, and rhododendron.

They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and avoiding the problem of overgrown shrubs is easy to do. First and foremost, make sure to fit the plant to the site. Don’t force a shrub species to fit into a space that is too small for its natural growth pattern or vigor.  Then maintain the proper size of shrubs using appropriate thinning and heading cuts as needed to manage shrub growth, size and health.

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Tree removal is done for many reasons.  The most likely being that the tree is dead or a hazard.  Sometimes it is merely because it is unattractive or ugly.

Most trees add color and curb appeal to our properties.  So when and how do we know it is the right decision to remove a tree?

Obviously we notice problems with our trees before or after a storm with high winds.  However, an annual inspection of your trees is the best approach.  This will allow you to identify potential problems before they occur.

What you should look for:

• Dead and Dying Parts – These are the most likely candidates for removal.

• Broken and or Hanging Branches – This can happen for many reasons and may not indicate the tree should be removed.  It may only need to be trimmed.

• Missing or Decaying Wood or Bark – This does indicate a tree in distress.  However, it may require treatment and not removal.

• Leaning – Does your tree lean or is it unbalanced.  Leaning and unbalanced trees are often the first to fall with ground saturation.  This tree may be healthy but still a hazard.

• Root Problems – Your tree requires its roots to stay upright.  If you notice decay, dead or missing roots the tree is a potential hazard.

You should always keep trees and branches cut back away from buildings and electrical wires.

If you notice any of these things or are uncertain about the health of your trees call hoot landscape and design.

Tree removal can be expensive.  However, you may loose much more than your tree if it falls on it’s own.

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Maintaining Your Plants

Watering

A regular watering schedule is key the first year for new plants to establish a healthy root system. Too much or too little water can cause a plant to wilt. The best way to determine if a plant needs water is to check the soil with your hands about 3-4″ around the base of the plant. If the soil is dry then it needs water, if the soil is moist then it does not need to be watered. The ultimate goal is for the root ball to be completely saturated and allowed time to dry out before watering again.

How to determine the watering schedule

During the spring and fall, when the temperatures are cooler and there is supplemental rain, check the soil every 3 -5 days, usually requiring watering twice a week. During the summer, when it is hot and dry, check the soil every 2-3 days, usually requiring watering 3 times a week. Keep in mind that plants in the sun dry out faster then plants in the shade. However, plants under overhangs, bay windows, deck and large tree canopies can dry out, because they are blocked from supplemental rain.

Methods of watering

Hose – Watering with a hose by hand allows for more accuracy. Attach a wand or sprayer to the end of the hose and adjust to the shower setting. Focus getting the water on the base of the plant, circulating the hose around the base. Allow time for the water to soak while you move on to the next plant, and then go back and water again, so, that you are saturating the roots of the plant thoroughly. About 1 minute for perennials, 2-3 minutes for small to medium shrubs, and 3 -5 minutes for large shrubs and trees.

Soaker Hose – Watering with a soaker hose is ideal for small areas of plants. The soaker hose can be attached directly to the hose bib or to a timer that will turn the water according to the set schedule. The soaker hose should be wrapped around the base of each plant so that all sides of the root ball are watered. Soaker hoses release water slowly, allow 30 – 45 minutes for the soaker hose to thoroughly saturate the soil around the plant.

Gator Bags – Gator bags can be used to water trees. Place the gator bag around the base of the tree and fill up with water. The water will slowly be absorbed into the roots over a few days. Allow a few days for the soil to dry out and repeat.

Trimming

Rule of thumb: best time to trim shrubs is immediately after they have finished blooming. Evergreen shrubs that do not bloom can be trimmed when necessary throughout the year. Use a hand pruner to keep a natural look or a hedge trimmer for a more formal look. Perennials will benefit from deadheading (removing spent blooms). Cut back perennials to the ground after the first frost. The plant will completely shrivel up and wilt after the first frost, so it does not hurt it to cut back the dead foliage. The roots will still be under the ground, and produce a new plant the following year.

Mulching

Choosing to mulch in either the spring or fall will help protect the roots of the plants and help prevent weeds. Before you apply the mulch, make sure to clean all debris/weeds from the beds. Avoid piling the mulch to close to the stem/trunk of the plant so that it can breathe.

The mulch can help keep the weeds to a minimum, but it’s probably a good idea to do a quick weeding of the beds every month.  If you don’t have time to pull the weeds then a Round-Up weed spray that you can purchase at a nursery or home depot will do the trick.  Apply the spray directly to the weed, careful not to get it on your other plants. The weeds should die in about 2 weeks.

Fertilizing

A slow release granular fertilizer, such as Osmocote or Hollytone is recommended rather than a water based fertilizer, which allows for error. It’s best to fertilize when the ground is wet, whether after it has rained or after you have watered your plants thoroughly. *Please use gloves when handling any type of fertilizer* Lightly sprinkle the fertilizer around the base of each plant (please, read and follow directions on the fertilizer package).

The best time to fertilize is in the spring when the plants are growing, and the fall to supplement the plants through the winter. The summer is too hot and dry, fertilizing could burn the roots of the plants. In the winter the plants go dormant, they are not growing, so there is no need to fertilize.

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The tree won’t expire right away, because just as trees grow slowly, they also (usually) die slowly. And the damage will be invisible, hidden below the soil that’s been heaped up around the trunk. So maybe you won’t know that your pretty bed is the reason for your handsome tree’s decline. But still, the fact remains.

You can see examples of this fatal mistake in front yards across the country. Why do so many people do it? Probably because of that old familiar story: one person does a new thing, and maybe this person has some sort of status or visibility, and then other people copy the thing, or “professionals” recommend it, and gradually more and more people come to think it is a good idea. Remember Mohawk haircuts? Pet rocks? Sack dresses? Well, those trends were just silly and didn’t hurt anyone. But this one is really destructive. It has to stop.

Possible reasons for this mistake

Now please understand, I do realize that a common justification for these raised beds is to keep careless mowers and trimmers from harming the tree bark. Well… this “solution” is probably even worse than the problem it is supposed to prevent, because in raised beds the damage surrounds the trunk entirely, whereas mower damage is concentrated in one or two survivable wounds (survivable unless they happen again and again, in which case the solution really should be to remove the operator of the equipment.)

I also sympathize with the impulse to create tidiness in our landscapes. A nice edge to trim against: this can be very appealing. I get it. But there has to be some other way to achieve the desired tidiness effect without accidentally killing the very tree that is being celebrated.

And finally, I appreciate that sometimes, when you’re looking for a place to add some flowers in the yard, using the tree as a centerpiece in a bed that’s elevated for better visibility might seem like a good idea. But it is not. As with everything in landscape design, the right solution must include considerations beyond just how something will look.

What to do instead

If you have a tree standing alone in your yard, here are some alternatives to the deadly raised bed:

• Mulch the ground around the trunk, but only on the level where the tree emerges from the ground.
• Make this area of mulch as big as possible, ideally at least out the edge of the branch canopy.
• For mulch, use the leaves from the tree itself (composted, chopped, or ideally just left where there they fall).
• Be sure to leave the trunk “flare” exposed, un-covered by either soil, mulch or any material that will hold moisture against the bark.
• If you still want a solid boundary to trim against, you can install around the perimeter of the mulch some sort of low edging.

Even better would be to have a group or grove of trees growing together in one large swath of rich soil that remains nearly always untouched and un-gardened. In this soil will gradually thrive microbes, fungi and other invisible creatures that help keep trees vital and healthy. (If a lot of unwanted plants show up here too, then you might need to intervene, but try to use a light touch and work with nature’s processes rather than engaging in constant battle.)

Do you still want to have a raised bed full of pretty flowers? I recommend that you build it somewhere other than around a beautiful, mature tree. Or else, if you must put the bed in just that spot and no other, you might as well cut down the tree at the start and save yourself the trouble later.

—-Written by Sue Reed

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Hoot Landscape has over thirty-five years of experience in residential landscape design and installation to preserve your landscape’s integrity for years to come and maintain your beautiful investment.

Hoot Landscape provides Design & Landscape installation, Natural Stone work, stamped patios and walkways in Auburn, Fort Wayne, New Haven, Huntertown, Leo, Columbia City and Laotto.

Call (260) 637-3527 to set up and appointment today!

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Healthy soil is key to a healthy and happy landscape, whether you’re growing vegetables or ornamentals. Here are 5 easy steps to improve the health of your soil.

1. Get a soil test to find out if your soil has any major deficiencies.

2. At least once a year, turn two or three inches of compost into your planting areas, or top dress with a mixture of compost and mulch. Top turf areas with one inch of compost.

3. Keep all planting area covered with at least two inches of mulch. Wood chips, dry leaves, pine needles, or coarse compost are all good options.

4. In vegetable gardens, rotate crops when possible or alternate with cover crops (buckwheat and field peas, for example)

5. Use herbicides as as last resort if at all, and if you have pest problems, follow the guidelines of Integrated Pest Management.

The post The Right Dirt appeared first on Hoot Landscape and Design - Fort Wayne.

First off, as the client, you need to establish your current needs.  This is important, as it will affect the choice of contractor that you seek out at a later date.  For example, is the project planting only, or does it involve a more thorough redo of both hardscape and softscape features?  If the project includes hardscape changes you should focus on what the current shortcomings are and how you see the revised spaces being used.  This is all valuable information for your interview process with potential designer and contractors.

You should also become aware of the different avenues for design work.  One option is to work directly with a designer that only does design, without a contracting service.  This avenue allows the client to get a set of plans that they can put out to bid with independent contractors.  Another option for design work is to work with a design build group.  This is more of a turnkey service from start to finish.  Design/build groups typically offer lower design fees and some crediting of design fees toward construction costs.

Once you have established your needs, picked a designer and acquired finished plans it is time to pick a contractor.  Local contractors are usually quite visible via advertising in local publications, visibility of trucks in the neighborhood and internet presence.  Word of mouth is always a source for acquiring a few different options, especially with smaller quality outfits that do not maintain a high profile.

An interview with prospective contractors would be next.  Always work with licensed contractors that are properly bonded and insured.  Key questions at a walk through or initial consultation should address a number of issues.  Does the contractor have significant experience with the scope of work your project has?  Do they have projects nearby you could see, and can they provide references from past projects?  What is their typical warranty program?  How long have they been in business and what is their background/history?

Based on answers to these questions a final choice needs to be made.  I would always go with the representative that not only had the information you needed, but also was a good listener, showed up on time, and looked professional.  All of these nuances reflect a person who takes pride in their work and presentation.

Finally, once a contractor has been chosen, remember that you will still need to put time into the project.  Even with the most turn-key contractor there will likely be time required on your part to address questions and changes that pop up along the way to completion.

At Hoot Landscape and Design, We take pride in what we do and our work is first class.  Let us help you get started today with a visit to your home.

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