Wilson
Bros Nursery is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 7 DAYS A WEEK!
Pruning
Shrubs
Pruning
a Deciduous Shrub -
Deciduous
shrubs such as Forsythia (Yellow
Bell's), are those that lose their
foliage during the winter season
and have a unique ability to renew
themselves almost indefinitely.
Some of these shrubs growing in
the eastern part of the country
are alive and healthy after more
than a century, yet these plants
don't appear to be to be more
than five years old. The secret
is proper pruning. Each year a
deciduous shrub produces many
shoots from the plants base or
roots. Wait to begin pruning deciduous
shrubs until they are three years
old. The best time to prune deciduous
shrubs that do not bloom in Spring
is late winter. Wait to prune
shrubs that flower in Spring until
after they bloom. The goal is
to remove all but 1/3 of the plants
shoots. Below is a basic guidline
for pruning deciduous shrubs.
Step
1 - Start
by removing long shoots coming
up from base, as indicated in
yellow, that spoil the shrub's
shape and appearance.
Step
2 - Remove
all branches that are lying
on the ground as well as all
the broken, diseased, dead,
or criscrossing branches.
Step
3 - Thin
out about 1/3 of the oldest
branches, leaving no stubs.
After blooming the next season
cut out about 1/3 of the oldest
and all of the dead branches
and repeat year after year.
Pruning
Broadleaf Evergreen Shrubs
- As
with any other group of plants
the broadleaf evergreens such
as the large-leaf Hollies, Cleyeras,
and Euonymus, require occasional
pruning by cutting away branches
that have outgrown the rest and
removing dead or broken branches.
It is best to prune evergreens
with hand pruners as hedge trimming
causes unsightly scaring of leaves.
Selective, minimal, hand pruning
also allows your berry producing
Hollies to produce a crop of berries
in fall. Any heavy pruning or
sheering of berry producing Hollies
should be done during winter dormancy
after most of the berries are
gone and before blooming in spring.
Pruning
Azaleas or Camelias -
The method for pruning Azaleas
and Camelias varies depending
on the age of the plant. For younger
Azaleas and Camelias, pruning
is best performed just after blooming
in Spring or Fall. Use hand pruners
to cut back branches that have
outgrown the rest and cut away
any dead branches or one's that
spoil the shape of the plant.
For older Azaleas that have become
spindly it may be necessary to
prune back as is recommended above
for deciduous shrubs.
Pruning
Blueberries
- Wait
to prune young blueberries until
their fourth year. The during
the early spring dormant season
remove dead or weak stems as well
as any crossing branches that
block light from the interior.
Blueberries form flower buds on
one year old strong wood. Plants
that don't hve vigorous new wood
should be pruned to encourage
new growth. On more mature plants
it may be necessary to thin older
branchesthat have the most thin
twiggy griwth and the fewest strong
one year old shoots. Cut them
at the crown to encourage new
growthHead small branches that
have small flowerbuds. Judge the
amount of overall thinning needed
by the size of the berries. If
the berries have been small, prune
more heavily the following dormant
season. If large, limit pruning.
Below is a diagram showing how
a blueberry shrub should be pruned
if berries have been small.
Pruning
a Shrub to a Tree-Form
- Tree-form
shrubs such as the single-trunk.
Upright Yaupon Holly to right
can be focal points that add lots
of character to your landscape.
The best shrubs for tree-forming
are ones that grow at least six
feet in height and higher. You
may either prune for single or
multi trunk depending on the existing
branching. Begin tree-forming
by starting at the bottom of the
shrub first removing the lowest
horizontal branches. Remove any
small twiigy branches that are
on the noew visible trunk(s).
Then take a few steps back and
visualize how high up you want
to prune to achieve the desired
shape. Continue with another round
of pruning by cutting away the
next round of lower horizontal
branches. Step back again to check
out your work and if necessary
continue this process until you
have achieved the desired look.
Top pruning or sheering may be
necessary to achive a more formal
shape.
Pruning
Lantana
- Prune Lantana shrubs, such as
'Miss Huff's Hardy' Lantana, only
in Spring when new growth begins
to emerge. Prune back all dead
parts of branches to just above
the point where new growth is
emerging. Warning:
Fall pruning
ensures death of the plant.
If necessary,
a mid-summer light sheering to
remove berries and encourage new
budding is okay.
Pruning
a Topiary
To
prune an existing shrub, or
train a shrub, into a topiary
form requires artistic visual
skills. You must be able to
see in your minds eye the end
result before you begin pruning.
There are endless forms of topiary.
Perhaps the most popular are
poodle tier and pom pom. To
form a poodle tier topiary it
requires a vertical/cylindrical
growing shrub such as Hetzi
Columnar Juniper that has a
single main trunk. On the other
hand, pom pom topiaries are
best formed from lower growing
to mid size shrubs, such as
Sea Green Juniper, with several
upward or outward reaching main
branches. Many shrubs such as
Compacta Hollies and Privets
may be pruned into all sorts
of shapes ranging from animals
to geometrical to spriral. To
form some of these more intricate
shapes it certainly requires
some carving skills and patience.
POM
POM
- To
prune a pom pom topiary select
an existing shrub that has several
main branches that grow in random
directions. Select a branch
and begin pruning away branchlettes
from the base of the main branch
upward or outward until you
have reached a point where you
can form the pom pom ball. Repeat
process on other main branches.
Shape pom poms into spherical,
oval, square, or saucer shapes.
Clip as necessary during the
growing season to maintain desired
shape.
POODLE
TIER:
To prune
a poodle tier as pictured below
determine where you want your
global-shape sections to be
and then tie strings around
the perimeter of the shrub above
and below these sections. Then
begin to prune away any branches,
as close as possible to the
main trunk, that are between
the sections marked by the strings.
After you have removed all of
the branches between, shape
the tiers as you like into spherical,
square, cylindrical, oval, or
various other shapes. Clip as
necessary during the growing
season to maintain desired shape.
