14. April 2010 by Carol Whitaker.

Some gardeners are clipper happy and always cutting, sometimes leaving plants in distress they leave so little leaf. Yet others I’ve met are afraid to prune. I’m not sure what they fear, as plants are living and growing and can be cultivated to your desires and needs when pruned appropriately in your garden.

For those of you growing plants like the Yellow Elder, Cape Honeysuckle and Dahoon Holly which bloom in spring, it’s almost time to prune.

It’s especially important to prune plants which bloom on old growth in a timely fashion. It’s those plants whose blooms can be set back and that may even miss their bloom entirely,  if they are pruned too late in the season. For spring blooming plants that bloom remontantly all year or those that bloom on new growth, timing is not as important.

Watch for spring bloomers to have their last flush of bloom, if it’s been over three weeks since the plants last bloom, you can safely assume it is finished blooming for the season. This is then the time to prune those spring blooming plants that bloom on old growth.

If  you are growing small trees as shrubs to keep them low or at eye level, cut them back at the top a few inches shorter than what would be their idea height for your garden. If they are leggy,  and need to be cut so that they will be fuller, be bold and cut them back six to eight inches, or more, if the plant is not pleasing you in its growth, or needs rejuvenation.

If they are are at the right height and not leggy, but growing too full, cut them at the Y juncture close the branch from which they are growing, removing branches to thin the plant.

To fully rejuvenate multibranched shrubs, cut out about one third of their growth at the base of growth at soil level. For the next few years, after each new flush of new branches grows in, cut out another third of the branches, until the shrub is entirely rejuvenated.

Any plants that bloom on new growth can be pruned now as well. Antique roses respond beautifully to pruning and remontant bloomers will bloom beautifully as they always do after they have been pruned.

However, if a plant blooms on old growth and blooms in summer or fall, you will be best served, and able to appreciate their blooms, if you wait until after its last flush of blooms after it blooms in summer or fall.

The beginning of the growing season is always a good time to prune, as you will be able to see the plant flush out with new growth quickly over the course of the summer and fall.

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14. April 2010 by Carol Whitaker.

Join us Saturday, April 17 from 9 am until 3 pm at Birch State Park for an Earth Day Celebration. Native Plant Society, Federation of Garden Clubs and Pink Shovel will be among the there.

Buy native plants and non-pest exotics.

Some of the plants include: Some of the Trees: Clusea, Buttonwood, Bulnesea (also known as Verawood), Dahoon Holly, Miraguama Palm, Florida Thatch Palm, Canary Island Date Palm, Lancewood, Indigo Berry, Mersine guianensis, Crape Myrtle, Seagrape, Lignum Vitae; Some of the Perrenials: Mexican Salvia, Black Eyed Susan, Galardia, Salvia species. Some of the shrubs, subshrubs, cycads and vines include: Yellow Elder, Native Lantana, Dioon Edule, Pandora, Blue Passion Vine.

Hope to see you there. Bring the family. 

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is located at Sunrise Blvd. and A1A @ 3901 E. Sunrise Blvd.

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