Book Review - Pruning

This weekend was a bye for the Huskies so I had a weekend to fit in some fall gardening (and a little marathon). I planted wisteria a few years ago and although I've yet to see many blooms, it has really taken off with vines so I need to do a bit of pruning.

Fall is a great time to cut back all the runners from your wisteria that have almost taken over your yard! If you wait until spring you will find that they are "set" in their way and are much more difficult to remove. The picture above was taken today before I pruned. This wisteria was planted two years ago and really took off this year. It have literally gotten to the point when I park the car out front and opened the door, wisteria vines creep into the car! The vines have also climbed to the top of a near by maple tree - it's out of control. Kent calls it my "jungle mess".

This is the same trellis and wisteria today after a needed trim. Much more manageable! My neighbor came out and made comment about finally being able to see us!

This little project got me to thinking about fall pruning so I thought I would pass on some fall pruning tips. First of all - the best book that I know about pruning is by Cass Turnbull. It's a great easy to follow step-by-step guide on pruning. I've actually attended several classes taught by Cass as she lives in Seattle. She's knowledgeable and funnier than hell.

Other than general maintenance and doing the trimming on the wisteria - I don't do a lot in the way of fall pruning. I cut back and clean up the hydrangea's (not heavy pruning) and tidy things up a bit - mild pruning such as thinning and deadheading is okay. This is not to be confused with general yard maintenance and clean up of perennial beds which I will discuss in a later post.

Here are some general things about pruning that are worth passing along - most importantly, bad pruning can lead to ugly plants. A haphazard pruning job can be as unsightly as a bad haircut and we've all talked about those with bad haircuts, your plants are no different, do a bad cut and not only will your plants suffer, your neighbors will be talking about you behind your back!

• Never leave short stubs. Twigs should be cut close to the main stem. Stubs do not heal quickly and make an ideal opening for disease and insects. Try to get the blade of the tool as close to the main stem as possible.


• Never prune spring-flowering plants before they blossom. The flower buds are formed the season before, and pruning will remove them before they open .


• Never cut all shoots or stems to the same height. It gives the plant a 'crew cut' look and stimulates dense growth on the top of the plant.


• Never shear hedges so they are narrow at the bottom. The bottom should be several inches wider than the top to allow for fuller growth. The wider bottom exposes more of the plant to light, and eliminates the twiggy look many hedges have.

If you are interested in the topic of pruning - I highly recommend Cass Turnbull's - Guide to Pruning. If you prune at the wrong time of year you can eliminate blooms on some plants for several years and if your technique is poor your can severely deform your plant and in the worst scenario - actually kill your plant. Happy gardening!

Later -

Jim