Category Archives: pruning

When to Prune (Shrub Name)

education, pruning, spring, the Lot

Since having received my Master Gardener Volunteer Certification, I’ve noticed I receive a handful of frequently asked questions. One of the more popular is “When is the best time to prune (name of flowering shrub)?” In our Zone 6a, pruning can be carried out in late winter, early spring, spring, or late summer. Which of those times a gardener picks to administer the horticultural haircut depends upon when the shrub blooms.

When to Prune Spring-Blooming Shrubs

If the shrub usually blooms in the spring, the best time to prune it would be immediately after the blooms fade. These shrubs form the next season’s flower buds during the previous summer. If you prune the shrub before it blooms in the spring, you will be trimming off all the flower buds. These shrubs include:

  • Forsythia
  • Lilac
  • Spirea
  • Weigela
  • Viburnum
  • Rhododendron
  • Fothergilla
  • Azalea

When to Prune Summer-Blooming Shrubs

Summer flowering shrubs are showing off blooms from buds grown that season. Prune these shrubs in late winter or early spring before they begin to push out new growth. The shrub will be able to devote all its energy to its upcoming flower display rather than wasting time on diseased or dead branches. The shrubs include:

  • Butterfly Bush
  • Potentilla
  • Rose of Sharon
  • Summersweet
  • Crape Myrtle
  • Saint Johnswort
  • Rose
  • Smoke Tree

When to Prune Hydrangea

There always has to be that one plant in the garden, right? Hydrangeas are a special case when it comes to pruning because it depends on what type of hydrangea you are growing. Most hydrangeas (oak leaf, mophead, lacecap) will bloom on old wood, having formed buds last season. This means pruning is best done after blooming in spring. However, reblooming varieties have buds on old and new growth, so the timing of pruning doesn’t matter as much. Still other hydrangeas form buds only on new growth. These would be trimmed in late winter or early spring the same as any other summer-blooming shrub.

Additional Resources

Shrub Pruning Calendar by the Virginia Cooperative Extension

Spring 2014 Has Arrived

backyard bed, front bed, gate bed, pruning, southwest bed, spring, spring cleanup

Today at exactly 12:57 ET the center of the sun passed over the Equator and the first day of Spring arrived. We usually have slightly warmer weather within the Lot’s micro-climate than the remaining Zone 6a outside of the city. The temperature reached a whopping 37 F today, which is an improvement to the very chilly winter we’ve experienced this season.

Lot Update

Here are some photos of the Lot from two days ago. A lot of snow has melted away from the edges of walkways, along paths, and from the house foundation. It seems the yew (yes, those are holiday lights that still need to be taken down) and newly freed rose in the South bed did not receive damage from the ice storms and heavier snow.

yew in south bed

The monster rose (aka my Other Half’s nemesis) seems to have made it through as well.

rose bush

The East bed is quite a soggy mess along the pathway to the gate. Several new perennials (foxglove, toad lilly, barrenwort, and coreopsis) were just added during the past growing season.

East Bed

Here is the main garden area of the Lot. Many of the perennials are still insulated under a layer of snow. This did not stop me from pruning the spirea to the right of the garage door. Usually I would not prune a spring-blooming shrub at the end of winter for fear of trimming off all the flower buds. However, this one has been falling apart over the last few years and I plan to cut it all the way to the ground after it is done blooming this spring so it can restart new, healthier growth.

We often set our Christmas tree outside by the bird feeder after the holidays. It gives the birds another place to tuck themselves away from the winter weather while they eat.

Back Garden

The middle shrub in front of the main garage wall is a burning bush. This species of shrub is too large for the space in which it was planted. When the snow retreats and the weather warms a bit more, I am going to attempt to thin out the branches a bit and bring the whole shrub back a bit in size.

Back Garden 2

Once the snow melts more, I will be cleaning up and pruning back a lot of perennials left up for winter interest. That includes the maiden hair grass and bits of false indigo seen in the foreground peeking up from under the snow.

Back Garden 3

What’s Different?

I looked back at pictures of the first day of spring from the past several growing seasons. In 2009 all the snow was gone and crocus and snowdrops were blooming. The same was true in 2010 with the daffodils swelling and many perennials stirring from winter. In 2011, there were still traces of snow in the areas of the back yard that were in the shade for the longer periods of the day. 2012 brought a very early spring with many trees already blooming which led to a horrible destruction of fruit crops for the state when a late freeze hit. Last year spring seemed back on track with the crocus and snowdrops appearing again and small areas of snow scattered here and there in the garden.

Deep down I know we will more than likely see snow again over the next month. In fact, it is in the forecast for later this week. However, there are chickadees moving through the backyard as they return from winter homes and the first snowdrops are emerging from the beds revealed by the withdrawing snow base.

#springiscoming

 

Signs of Spring

bulbs, pruning, spring cleanup, ,

This past Saturday was sunny and warm, so the four-legged garden help and I headed outside on the Lot to poke around a bit. It actually hit 50 degrees and once I was moving around and working, I even had to shed my coat. Cabin fever is at an all time high and I just needed to dig and/or prune something. The trick is to get the gardening fix without prompting any plants into an early flush of new growth. Signs of spring greeted me all over the Lot.

Turning Over the Beds

4x4 Raised BedsThe week or so of warmer weather and sun had melted all the snow away from the Lot.  The shredded leaves and grass clipping my Other Half and I had piled high onto the veggie beds last fall had broken down over the winter. Only a thin layer of compacted leaves remained level with the edges of the bed. Since the soil wasn’t frozen, I took a shovel and turned over the soil to mix in the remaining leaves. And yes, that is a jack-o-lantern.

First Arrivals

Emerging SedumA favorite sign of spring on the Lot for me is the emerging sedum. I leave the stalks of the various sedum standing throughout the winter since the snow is pretty on the spent blooms. This time of year I clip back the stalks to around 4″. While doing so, often the very beginning of new growth is just visible. Is it weird I find these little buds freakin’ adorable?

Lenten RoseAnother early emerging plant on the Lot is the lenten rose tucked away by the back door. This guy has saw-toothed evergreen foliage I leave like the sedum during the winter and trim back this time of year.

Other trimming this past weeekend included cutting down the maiden grass to about 6″ so the bleeding heart just breaking ground can receive more sun. The false indigo stalks were trimmed back to 4″ so the area will be ready for the tulips whose foliage showed up this week. Finally, I cut back some mums, rue, and wand flower.

What Up My Finches?!… and Robin

So, another favorite sign of spring on the Lot is when the goldfinches at the kitchen window feeder begin to look a bit rough around the edges. During the winter, the male goldfinch retires his flashy duds and black cap. All the finches are the same dirty yellow or dusty olive color. However, when winter is on it’s way out, the finches molt and patches of brilliant yellow begin to show again. My Other Half and I imagine this awkward stage before the mating season to be much like adolescence. This comparison works well with the finches squeaky, questioning-like call.

Finally, on Easter morning, I saw my first robin. Even though there may be a sprinkling of snow and many frosty mornings still ahead, I do believe spring is here. Are you noticing the arrival of spring? Any favorite signs?