What is the big deal about pruning? All you need to do is fire up the power shear and cut off everything that sticks up, right? You know the feeling: the thrill of the power shear vibrating in your hands and the smell of 2 cycle oil as the blades rip along the hedge. Unfortunately this is not the best way to go about pruning. We have all seen many landscapes lose their "wow" appeal because plants were sheared improperly. The most common mistake I see around Oxford, and everywhere in our great country, is indiscriminate shearing of plants. Each one is treated as if on an assembly line and is given the same GI haircut. I am sure the "barber" means well, but let's spread the word on how to prune correctly. Because, honestly, it's killing me ... and the beauty of our plants.
So, what's the big deal? The deal is that each plant has its own style and growth habit in the same way that each person has his own hairstyle. Understanding a plant's natural growth habit provides wonderful insight into making the plant bloom, grow, and flourish successfully. This will, in turn, help develop the "wow factor" within the yard. It's the small details that produce big payoff.
Remember to keep it simple. The most typical landscape pruning falls into two general categories. These are formal and informal (natural) pruning. A formal prune shears the outer tips of a plant to establish a defining shape. Examples of formal pruning would be a straight line hedge, ball, cone, or even an animal shape. Shearing is effective, and when used correctly, enhances the "wow" of a landscape. This type pruning is best used for formal and or classic style landscapes.
Natural or informal landscapes are those that have open growth habits like azaleas, camellias and roses. These plants thrive when pruned correctly and really "show off" when selectively pruned at the right time. Selective pruning encourages thick, well-shaped plants and can actually reduce the number of times a plant needs to be pruned, thus lowering the maintenance in the yard. I like that. To find out more about selective pruning, click here to watch a short video clip.
The most common problem is the overuse of the shearing technique to any and all plants, even those that want to grow open and spread in an informal or natural landscape. This makes the landscape look like a meatball assembly line.
What is the big deal about pruning? All you need to do is fire up the power shear and cut off everything that sticks up, right? You know the feeling: the thrill of the power shear vibrating in your hands and the smell of 2 cycle oil as the blades rip along the hedge. Unfortunately this is not the best way to go about pruning. We have all seen many landscapes lose their "wow" appeal because plants were sheared improperly. The most common mistake I see around Oxford, and everywhere in our great country, is indiscriminate shearing of plants. Each one is treated as if on an assembly line and is given the same GI haircut. I am sure the "barber" means well, but let's spread the word on how to prune correctly. Because, honestly, it's killing me ... and the beauty of our plants.
So, what's the big deal? The deal is that each plant has its own style and growth habit in the same way that each person has his own hairstyle. Understanding a plant's natural growth habit provides wonderful insight into making the plant bloom, grow, and flourish successfully. This will, in turn, help develop the "wow factor" within the yard. It's the small details that produce big payoff.
Remember to keep it simple. The most typical landscape pruning falls into two general categories. These are formal and informal (natural) pruning. A formal prune shears the outer tips of a plant to establish a defining shape. Examples of formal pruning would be a straight line hedge, ball, cone, or even an animal shape. Shearing is effective, and when used correctly, enhances the "wow" of a landscape. This type pruning is best used for formal and or classic style landscapes.
Natural or informal landscapes are those that have open growth habits like azaleas, camellias and roses. These plants thrive when pruned correctly and really "show off" when selectively pruned at the right time. Selective pruning encourages thick, well-shaped plants and can actually reduce the number of times a plant needs to be pruned, thus lowering the maintenance in the yard. I like that. To find out more about selective pruning, click here to watch a short video clip.
The most common problem is the overuse of the shearing technique to any and all plants, even those that want to grow open and spread in an informal or natural landscape. This makes the landscape look like a meatball assembly line.