Category Archives: Pruning Calendar

PbD Pruning ToDo by month

Yellowwood Lollipop=bad

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Winter dormancy is a great time to prune ornamental and young trees to improve their architecture, structural integrity and form. This Yellowwood [ Cladrastis kentukea ] was in real need of correction after having been pruned badly last summer.

BEFORE : If you look at the “Before” images below, you can see that previously, it had been pruned so that virtually every branch was cut so that each was the same exact length, assuming a weird lollipop shape. This shape is very unnatural and unfortunate for ANY tree! It almost looks like a fan. We often see trees that have been pruned in this fashion when the owner really only wanted for the tree to be shortened or neatened a bit. Pruning trees into lollipops is a bad idea for the tree’s health because, in the same way that shearing a shrub creates a more dense exterior shell of foliage, lollipop trees suffer from poor architecture that blocks light from the interior of the tree. Branches become long and spindly and can break more easily, there is much less interior foliage for photosynthesis, and the tree becomes stressed. Plus, it’s silly looking and awkward. You don’t want your tree to look and feel like a cartoon.

AFTER : To correct this, Pruning by Design made staggered cuts at many different levels in the tree canopy being careful to create a balanced, soft form. You can see in the diagram of the cuts above, that it is very possible to allow more natural characteristic branching by pruning the tree correctly. Trees grow in this way for a reason, because it provides an evolutionary advantage. We keep and encourage a strong leader and main branches with shorter lateral branches inside. We cleaned up broken or weak branches, and shortened some of the overly long side branches that extended over the walk and into the neighbor’s doorway. By creating layers within the tree, the tree’s future health is improved by allowing light and air circulation in, important for preventing fungal growth and insect attacks. The Yellowwood’s structure is now much more graceful, too. Now it looks like a tree, not a lollipop.

Annika removing a “hanger” with clean cut that will heal better with CODIT “response growth”, preventing microorganisms to invade the old wound.

PbD January Pruning & Garden Calendar

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What’s on your garden calendar in January? Time to make your garden plans for spring and continue with dormant season pruning while plants and trees will be less stressed. It’s also a great time to call in expert arborists to assess trees and shrubs, too.

The PbD team works on dormant trees and shrubs and Adele is an ISA certified Arborist. In winter months, we are better able to view the architecture and branch attachments to maintain the strongest and work to eliminate the weaker ones, so the tree or shrub can have a healthy balance. We are always careful not to damage branch collars when we prune. And of course, right now we can look for previous insect damage and get rid of the dead wood! Timing and precision are important. Here’s a short list of January pruning items in the Mid-Atlantic region:

SHADE TREES : oak, hickory, beech, black gum, poplar, sycamore, ginkgo

“BLEEDER TREES” : birch, dogwood, elm, maple, & styrax

TREE PRUNING CALENDAR from North Carolina Cooperative Extension Office / NC A&T University

WONDERFUL SHRUB CALENDAR from Virginia Tech Extension Office

Even in January, be on the lookout for Fall Cankerworm.

PbDToDo in March

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Cabin Fever Brings Us Out

Despite the bitter cold and soggy snow that blanketed Washington DC this winter, March has arrived.  We know spring is coming because if you look closely enough, you will see the tender leaf tips of bulbs, especially daffodils, just emerging. Right now, we are working quickly in gardens to take advantage of the great opportunity to prune in the last moments of winter.  Many plants and trees should or MUST be pruned at this time of year while the temperatures are consistently below 50 degrees fahrenheit.  And besides, who can sit inside any longer?

What to prune now

If a woody plant or tree will bloom from stems that grow this year, then winter is the time to prune them.  Mostly, these are plants that will bloom in summer and fall.  Doing so now is much easier on the plant. Since they are not putting energy into growing, cuts heal more quickly and there is much less risk of spreading any disease.  On the other hand, if  blooms grow from older stems, stems that grew last year or earlier, then wait till after they bloom to prune them.  Many of these are spring bloomers.

To keep it simple, here is a short list to focus on:

Boxwood

Roses

Fruit Trees

Crape Myrtles

Hydrangea paniculata (PeeGees) and arboresescens (Annabelles)

Care should be taken with Hydrangeas to be sure they are not Oakleaf or Hydrangea macrphylla.  They bloom on old wood and if you prune them now, you will remove flowerbuds.  These can wait till later in the season.

Goodbye Winterburn!

One more easy task to do now is to cut back liriope and other ornamental grasses.  By now, they can look so shabby it’s difficult to bare.  Cutting them back gives new shoots an opportunity to absorb light and relieves the plants from trying to sustain the old blades at the same time they need to feed new ones.  It won’t take long before the new growth will cover the stubble, which in any case is still better to look at than the tired, brown salt suffering stems.

It’s always ok to prune off damaged or week branches.  It’s not always easy to see if a branch that’s dormant is still vital, but looking very closely can reveal life so take a minute to inspect.  Finding the first signs of life in the garden is a genuine thrill.

PbDToDo May

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To Do in MAY:  Time to Dig In!

Finally the month of May is upon us and the gardening season is in full swing. You could work in the garden from sunup to sundown all month long and still not get everything done that you wanted to.  So here’s a list to help you prioritize.

Be ready to water as needed, especially in the vegetable garden. Most landscape plants need an inch of water per week (either from you or Mother Nature).

Get out there and plant something. This is an ideal month to start a vegetable or flower garden project. We have a long, forgiving growing season, so it’s not too late. Select easy-to-grow plants that love hot weather.

Mulch to feed the soil and discourage weeds. Only two cautions:  don’t pile it up too deeply (2 inches is plenty), and don’t pile mulch up against the trunks of your trees.

Turn spring compost piles. Keep adding green material (spent pansies, finished mustard greens, etc.) to the compost heap.

Prune spring bloomers as they finish blooming. Deadhead roses to encourage more blooms and apply an organic fertilizer. Watch for signs of fire blight in pears and apples, and cut off infected branches following Cooperative Extension advice, dipping your shears in bleach or alcohol between cuts. Dispose of branches by burning or bagging and tossing.   Don’t leave them on the ground or put them in the compost.

For larger fruit, thin peaches, plums, and Asian pears to 4 to 6 inches apart.

Try some annual flowers, from amaranth to zinnias. Don’t forget summer bulbs, including gladiolus, crinums and tuberoses, and foliage plants such as coleus and Caladium. Plant moonflower (Ipomoea alba), caladium, coleus, zinnia, and other heat-tolerant flowers.

Move indoor plants out to the porch, patio or front stoop. Fertilize them with a mild, liquid organic fertilizer.