Weeds are a really challenging problem. I spend considerable time pulling them, digging, them, and sorting them.Generally speaking, the b
06.06.2023 - 16:44 / gardenerspath.com / Lynne Jaques
Pruning Ornamental Trees and ShrubsIt was brought home to me one afternoon as I looked out my bedroom window to see if I could find any flower buds on my Magnolia campbellii that bloomed so heavily last year. I saw no newer buds but I did notice some of my other plants were taking up much more space than they should and some were getting shaggy. Pruning ornamental shrubs and trees calls for all of the same tools that are used for roses and fruit trees, plus a good pair of hedge shears.
Cuts on ornamentals may need to be coated with a tree seal just as those on roses and fruit trees do. On checking my tree seal I found it a bit thick for good spreading so using a strong wooden, ladle I added water, beating in a little at a time, until the black mixture was the consistency of honey. Then it could be painted on the wound with a brush without running down the branch.
My first task was the pruning of the Osmanthus fragrans, or sweet olive, just outside the bedroom window. It had been passed over the last two years and was getting quite shaggy. My plant is approximately 10 feet high and I usually keep it about three feet wide. Now, a foot must be removed from each side and the front. Using the hedge shears I started at the bottom and clipped the sides until they were even and fitted into the wall space they were supposed to cover.
The top had to be cut back with toppers as the upward growing branches were too large for the clippers. To keep this plant under control, the correct way I should have spent some of my summer pinching out the stem ends to make the growth more compact.
My Arbutus uneda, aka strawberry tree, is planted at the corner of my drive so neither I nor my neighbor can see to enter the street safely when it gets
Weeds are a really challenging problem. I spend considerable time pulling them, digging, them, and sorting them.Generally speaking, the b
One of my favorite plants is a bay tree that lives in a raised bed in my garden. Every summer, it usually doubles or even triples in size. And the secateurs are duly fetched.
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As cheerful and innocuous as the lowly dandelion is, it ranks among America’s most hated plants. People will resort to almost anything to get rid of them, from prying them up by their seemingly endless taproots to dousing them with toxic chemicals. The things we’ll do for a pure lawn.But as most modern herbalists know,
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,Remember me to one who lives there,She once was a true love of mine.So begins the old Simon and Garfunkel song “Sc
Vines are handy for trellis or lattice arbors, to trace up trees, or to decorate a mailbox.For many, the thought of plan
Planting during the fall can be very rewarding to a lot of gardeners. Most annuals can be planted during the fall to yield beautiful flowers throughout the year.Annuals can be defined b
One of my favorite things to do during the winter is to put food out for the birds.Not only does this activity nourish the birds
Are you one of today’s harried urban gardeners, with less time to putter but more need to relax? Feel married to your lawn most of the year, but not particularly happy with the high-maintenance ol’ gal?Time-consuming demands on today’s busy homeowners don’t le
Although one of my favorite pastimes in the spring and summer is gardening, there are times that I just want to relax and not worry about the weeds or how tall the grass has grown.That is why my front yard is completely low-ma
Come late February or March, the winter is on its way out over much of the country. It’s pruning time for folks who have woody-stemmed plants that bloom or hedges and shrubs that need shaping up.But how and when to prune are puzzli
Junipers aren’t as forgiving as some plants when it comes to pruning. Do the job the wrong way and you’ll end up with an ugly skeleton of a shrub with bald spots and bare branches.On the bright side, junipers don’t