How to Prune

Braving the Thorns Part 2: Pruning Your Dormant Rose

January 19, 2009 13 comments

Rose pruning is such a satisfying task – you go from a tangled icky mass with thorns everywhere to a lovely clean set of sturdy stems – yet too many people are intimidated by their roses. There’s no need to be shy! The worst thing you can do is not tackle them at all, since [...]

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Ornamental Grasses: How to Prune Miscanthus, Stipa, and More

January 14, 2009 18 comments
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Now’s the time for us mild-winter gardeners to prune back many of our ornamental grasses. But how do you know which to prune back all the way, which to deadhead, and which to leave be? Well, if your grass is an evergreen and is still looking great, then leave it be unless you want to [...]

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The Military Flat-Top: How To Prune Your Astilbe (Video Tutorial)

January 1, 2009 4 comments

Feathery Astilbe plumes in spring are one of my favorite seasonal shows, and even though I’m a big proponent of year-round interest, I’ll forgive a species that goes dormant if it does so with either: A. Loads of fanfare and splashy color, or up-to-the-last-second blooms. B. Such profoundly fast dieback that one day you are [...]

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Tree-Shaped Shrubs; Pruning Princess Flower or Tibouchina (Video Tutorial)

December 30, 2008 4 comments

As a Garden Coach, I’m often asked for “trees” that stay about 8-12’ tall. Most people don’t realize how few trees there are with that mature size – but there are many shrubs that can be pruned to have a tree-like form, with an open branching habit down below and a pretty multi-stemmed trunk. Tibouchina [...]

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I Love Alstroemeria! And: A Cool Trick For Pruning Them (Video Tutorial)

December 27, 2008 4 comments
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Florists love Alstroemeria for their gorgeous, long-lasting cut flowers, and I do too – the orange ‘Third Harmonic’ above, the traditional salmon-pink ‘Regina’ found in your florist’s shop, the always-lovely ‘Casa Blanca’ with its white flowers striped with pink and green – there are colors and tones to suit any garden.

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How to Prune Your Hardy Geranium or Cranesbill (Or: Ode to ‘Rozanne’) (Video Tutorial)

December 8, 2008 11 comments

I am a huge fan of Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Here’s a plant that’s gotten tons of press in the last few years (tons of press for a plant at least!), winning all kinds of plant-y awards and generally being the plant world’s Paris Hilton. Except ‘Rozanne’? She actually deserves the attention. She blooms gorgeously from her [...]

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How to Prune Heath and Heather

November 24, 2008 7 comments

Heathers are one of my favorite winter-interest plants. There are Ericas (Heaths) which bloom around November and December, Daboecia (Irish Heath) which bloom spring to late fall, and Callunas (Scotch Heather) which bloom in summer but often have vibrant winter foliage. They are very low-maintenance plants, but they do need pruning once a year after [...]

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