Posts Tagged ‘Pruning’

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April Gardening Check List

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Rare are the weekends that I have both days to myself in my garden. Usually, I’m meeting with clients all day Saturday. This weekend a last minute emergency cancellation meant a Saturday to myself and for myself to just “be” in the garden. That meant I was able to get caught up on numerous tasks that are best completed this time of year, April, in the garden. Perhaps it’s time to start focusing on some of these tasks in your garden as well?

  • Hardening off: If you’ve been buying veggie starts (or even ornamental starts), hopefully you’ve confirmed whether they’ve been hardened off yet or not.
    Brassicas Hardening Off in the Cold Frame

    Brassicas Hardening Off in the Cold Frame

    This refers to acclimating them to cooler outdoor temps from the coddling environment of the heated greenhouse. You can accomplish this at home by keeping starts in a cold frame (learn how to build one here), greenhouse or even hoop house. Or taking them outdoors for longer and longer periods of time over the course of several days, bringing them indoors for shorter and shorter protective periods during the coldest days and chilliest times of night.

  • Weeding: Even if you’ve been weeding all winter long and have a thick layer of mulch on the ground, odds are some wily weeds are popping up. I dug up several dandelion, shotweed and even a few tenacious dockweeds. Keep on top of them now to make life easier later when they’re stronger, have seeded and the ground gets hard as rains begin to wane.
  • Cutting back: Haven’t gotten out in the garden yet and finished cleaning up from last winter? You might want to hurry up. Most perennials have already put on some hefty growth. Ferns are unfurling. As delicate growth takes off, it can be difficult to cut back dead or winter-beaten parts of the plant to show off the beauty of the new spring growth. What makes this difficult is the new, tender, succulent growth can get in the way. When I cut back the last of my sword ferns over the weekend, for instance, I accidentally snipped off at least one tender new frond as it was unfurling – bummer! (more…)
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The 2010 January Seattle Winter Garden

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Today, at the end of January, we’re having a week to remember. Record high daytime temperatures even, on a few days, under clear sunny skies. After wrapping up my handouts and PowerPoint presentation on Ornamedibles for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in February,  I got out in the garden to get caught up on a few chores. I certainly have many more to complete before Spring really arrives, but for now, here are a few things you might try to accomplish while the days are warm and dry and your plants are still dormant:

Dwarf Laceleaf Japanese Maple in Fall

Dwarf Laceleaf Japanese Maple in Fall

Pruning: Yep, now is a fantastic time to get out and prune your woody plants. Without leaves in place, it is easy to see any broken, crossing, downward-facing, or rubbing branches. In my own garden, I dropped a few crotches off my Acer triflorum to create new leaders, encouraging the plant to grow in directions away from the utility lines it is early reaching these days. As well, I trimmed out some crossing and rubbing branches on my dwarf Japanese Maple and my Heptacodium. And, I pruned out some Viburnum carlesii branches that were growing toward the house (yes, I’m giving up some lovely blooms that will shortly open, but I had the time and the access, so cut I did!).

Cut back Perennials: If you didn’t get it done in fall, now is a good time to walk through your beds and cut down the bits and pieces of perennials that have died back. On warm dry days your beds are less likely to become compacted by your footsteps. When the ground is frozen or soggy, your good clean up works may detrimentally impact your planting beds. Today in my garden I cut a couple of Miscanthus to the ground, chopped down spent lily and Phygelius stalks, and cut back the more withered semi-evergreen fern fronds.

Miscanthus in Autumn

Miscanthus in Autumn

Raking & Mulching: Honestly, I didn’t get to this today. Since I didn’t have mulch on hand, I held off on doing a full raking of all my leaves. It may be warm now, but it is still January and another freeze could happen. I did rake up some materials, but I left leaf duff in place to continue to deter weed growth while also adding nutrients to the soil, protecting soil microbia habitat, and protecting roots. When I do find the time to load up my truck with mulch, I’ll start really raking those leaves up, pulling weeds and protecting my cleaned beds with a fresh layer of composted organic mulch material.

Pull weeds: This is another work item I noted but didn’t do today. Most of my beds are fairly well protected with leaf duff or mulch, so not too many weed seedlings are showing up yet. Still, I did see quite a few rosettes of shotweed popping up here and there. Soon, if this weather keeps up, I won’t be able to continue to ignore them.

Breath deeply: Or at least pay attention to what’s in bloom. My own Witchhazel is beginning to fade just this week — the weather is a bit too warm for it. Hellebores are starting to really show their stuff. Camellia sasanqua are still popping open here and there. Sarcococca is almost too much to take each time I open the back door, but it still smells like spring is almost here. And, it may not be fully blooming yet, but I noticed a petticoat of yellow on my Azara,  promising chocolate fragrance is soon to be wafting through the garden.

Step carefully: Bulbs are coming up. Tender perennials are sending up shoots. The garden is coming to life. Mark your bulb locations when you find them and tread lightly so you don’t damage tender new growth.

More than anything, if you’re in Seattle, find the time to get outside right now. If you’re an office worker, take the time to walk in a park at lunch. Or heck, just ditch. Life’s too short to miss spring-time in midwinter!

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A Few Random Thoughts from a Busy Garden Coach as we Approach Summer Solstice

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

I haven’t been writing nearly as much as I do during the colder, dormant season. It’s much more fun, and profitable, for me to spend time in the garden rather than writing about the garden. Yet, as I’m looking down the barrel of summer solstice, I want to share a few quick gardening tips that may prove helpful. Solstice marks the time when days following, sadly, start to become shorter. Plants are greatly in tune with this, and your work, based on timing,  can make a huge difference in your gardening successes (and failures):

  • Pinching perennials: Not only will deadheading help extend your flowering season for most perennials, but if you tip back (aka a pinch-to-a-node) late flowering types (Mums, especially) with alternating cuts, you can create bushier plants with more blooms that are less likely to flop over when they get top-heavy with blossoms. But, stop tipping around solstice or you may not get any blooms at all.  If you’re dealing with plants that you don’t want to bloom, like basil, keep on pinchin’!
  • Pruning: Don’t prune plants that bloomed in late winter/early spring or you risk cutting off next winter’s blooms. If you haven’t sheared your hedges, which is best done in late winter/early spring, you’re running out of time. If you shear too late, you risk looking at choppy cuts all winter or forcing soft growth that gets killed in early frosts.
  • Big Harvest in June for the Foodbank

    Big Harvest in June for the Foodbank

    Seeding and Planting: You still have time to seed many hot season crops, but again, your time is running out. Get those last rounds of tomatoes, basil, peppers, squashes and beans in the ground now to extend your harvest period. Plus, now’s the time to start seeding those fall/winter crops to get them ready to set out for winter harvesting — think kale, broccoli, chard and cabbage.

  • Harvest, Eat, Preserve: As your crops roll in, stay on top of harvesting even if that means you end up making sauerkraut in June or giving away lettuce to the foodbank. By doing this, you’ll make room to rotate in new crops and reduce the likelihood of inviting pests and disease and self-seeded bolting crops into the garden by leaving past-their-prime edibles in the soil.

And finally, enjoy these long days. Soon enough we’ll all be wrapped in polar fleece, snuggling near a warm fire, desperately seeking a bloom somewhere to discuss in the many posts we have time to write up during winter. For me, for now, I’m off to put out more mammoth sunflowers, zinnia, basil and late season tomatoes to enjoy into the many remaining months of summer.

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Posted in Food, garden coach, seasons, vegetable gardening | 1 Comment »

Why Not to Hire a Tree Trimmer Who Wears Spikes

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Yesterday I met with a new client in Seattle. As I walked up to his home, I immediately noticed three Cherry trees in the front parking strip had been topped recently. However, it wasn’t until I was reviewing the back garden that I saw the worst of the tree trimming horrors his garden had sustained. Not only had he hired a crew that was willing to top his trees, but they climbed a cypress in his backyard wearing climbing spikes, which damaged the bark and cambium layer of the tree terribly. When I saw the spiked trunk, at first I thought someone had hit the base of the tree with a car because so much of the lower bark had been torn off. I was wrong; it was the tree workers who did it.

So, why was this dismaying?

First, the living part of the tree is directly below the protective bark layer. This “cambium” layer is where the plant transports nutrients up and down the stem; the bark protects this area. As well, plants don’t heal. So every spike insertion becomes a site for pest and disease. The ripped and torn bark and holes in the cambium and older interior layers will never heal.

Second, the cuts that were made to top the cherries and to “shape” the other trees were made at random points on the stems creating a “shape” to the tree. This may sound just fine. But it isn’t. When you understand that trees do not heal and when you learn that plants have specific points in their growth systems where they can protect themselves from the cuts we make, you better understand how and where to make pruning cuts. Clearly, these trimmers don’t know this. Or, worse, they do know and they just don’t care. Or even worse than that, maybe they do know what they’re doing and they hope that their sloppy work will stimulate new growth (through topping the cherries) and cause decline (through wearing spikes in the cypress) thereby creating more work calls from the client to them in years to come.

Third, really, spike holes and topped trees are just plain ugly.

This Tree was Topped Twice!

This Tree was Topped Twice!

When hiring a tree trimming service, be sure to find out what certifications the service holds. Ideally, hire an ISA-certified, licensed arborist. If the service offers to top your trees, that’s your signal to run away immediately. If they climb using anything other than ropes, saddles and ladders, don’t let them near your tree. Those spikes will cause damage from which your tree may never recover. Just think: you’d be paying to have your trees — your investment in plants — destroyed rather than cared for.

As this client learned the hard way, just because a service is cheap and immediately available doesn’t mean they’re good. In his situation, they sold him on price and convenience saying he’d save a lot if he let them do the work that day because they “had a truck in the neighborhood”.  In the long run, this kind of work saves a homeowner nothing and quite often costs them much more down the road.

Looking for more information on proper pruning and where to find a certified arborist in your area? Find more information here:

  • Plant Amnesty: This organization was formed to teach people to stop topping trees and offers loads of information as well as a referal service for finding trained arborists.
  • ISA: The International Society of Arboriculture provides information on trees, tree care and certification of arborists around the world. This is your go-to spot to find an arborist anywhere on planet earth.
  • Garden Mentors: Interested in learning hands-on about how trees grow and how to prune them yourself? Or, just want to learn how trees should be pruned so you better understand how to hire and manage a tree trimming service? Get in touch for a hands-on garden coaching session now.
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Posted in Garden Maintenance, Pruning, trees | 1 Comment »

How Much Time Does a Garden Coach Spend in Her Garden Each Week

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Yesterday I was helping a regular client prune several woody shrubs away from a deck she’ll be renovating this summer. The shrub work was long past due, but together we made great progress. As we were working she asked, “Robin, how many hours a week do you spend working in your garden?”

Stone & Filled Beds Make for Easy Summer Care

Stone & Filled Beds Make for Easy Summer Care

Hmmm…that was like getting the job interview question you’re completely unprepared for. Fortunately, I wasn’t interviewing for a job as the question gave me pause. How much time do I spend working in my own garden in a week?

I answered my client honestly. I barely have time and energy left this time of year to get out in my own garden. My hands are exhausted from pruning and weeding and typing and writing all day, so my own weeds flourish and my shrubs thrive despite the work I know I should devote to them.

Fortunately, I’ve invested almost a decade developing my garden, which has a lot of stone work. And, stones don’t require a lot of maintenance. And, my beds are quite full from years of planting, dividing and spreading perennials. Some I regret and now classify in the weed department (Alstromeria & cat mint rules this regret.) Still, I would like to have garden perfection with zero weeds, perfectly coiffed shrubs and pest-free cabbages.  But, time is at a premium. And when free evenings bring lightening storms and hail such as we had last night, I miss out on my rare opportunities to weed away the evening sunlight.

So, to answer the question. I find myself puttering through the garden with coffee each morning most days of the year for a good 30 minutes or so. I visit my potted garden and greenhouse for about 30 minutes a day in spring and summer (at least). I visit my veggie beds daily to harvest (if not to weed and plant and water) for about 20 minutes a day. And, when I have an actual day to really get out there. Well, those are the days I can put in a good 8-10 hours renovating big spaces and making progress pruning those shrubs, pulling those weeds, squashing those slugs and dressing up the finished areas with a nutrious layer of composted mulch. And, of course, I try to wind down sunny evenings sitting in the garden with a glass of wine or iced tea — and odds are, I’ll pull another weed while I’m at it. So shall we say I spend a good hour or two, on an average day, working in the garden (and sometimes quite a bit more.)

Now that I’ve wrapped up this thought, I’m going to escape into my own garden for a rare two hour, mid-day weed-a-thon. Wish me luck!

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