Pruning: a Skillful Art

Pruning is the practice of removing dead, diseased or otherwise unwanted portions from a plant . The purpose of pruning is to shape the plant by controlling or directing plant growth, to maintain the health of the plant, or to increase the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.

Proper pruning is as much a skill as it is an art, since badly pruned plants can become diseased or grow in undesirable ways.

Timing is also very important when pruning a plant. Especially the early spring blooming plants should be pruned immediately after they have finished flowering. This is because the plant sets its flower buds in the current growing season to bloom next year in spring. So it you prune such a plant late in season, it will fail to bloom the following spring.

Every plant has a different style of pruning too. So before to take the plunge to chop the plant, just make sure you know how exactly it should be done. I am making this a point just because I messed up with my Lilacs once last year.

With Lilacs it is said you should prune only 1/3rd of the flower stem immediately after the bloom period. And it seems I pruned the entire flower stems. The plant grew very nicely in spring, but it failed to bloom which made me realize I did wrong pruning.

After a lengthy winter, spring brings the eagerness of blooms in the garden. But, even a small wrong step could put you on a long wait.

View of the plant, immediately after planting....
The first blooms of the lilac, following spring...
Due to the wrong pruning, there were no blooms this spring....

Spring shrubs in bloom

Spring brings a lot of excitement and activity in the garden. With trees like crabapples & flowering pear blooming early in spring, there are couple of shrubs too that bloom in the same period in our garden. Lilacs & Weigelas are among these. Both the shrubs have totally different personalities and characters.

"Miss Kim" lilac has soft delicate lavender color blooms. The blooms are so fragrant that the whole patio lingers with the sweet fragrance.

"Red prince" Weigela has bold trumpet shaped blooms. The color really appeals the eye and the blooms drooping down in clusters looks very attractive.

New visitor to backyard

Birds are regular visitors to our backyard feeders. This year we spotted out a new visitor named as " Black capped chickadee". This is a very small bird (little smaller than a sparrow). In the picture it is feasting on sunflower seeds.

More new beginnings...

Last year we completed almost 75% of the landscape design. Unfortunately, the winter was very bad this time and we were little worried for all our plants. It was almost June until the weather become stable. But, luckily all our plants did well, except for one or two which needs to be replaced this year.

It was interesting to see the growth pattern of the different plants. The early spring bloomers lilac & weigelas were all set with their buds to provide the floral display. Trees started budding with new leaves. Roses & perennials started their new growths.

Top Left: Pine, Top right: Flame maple, Bottom left: White oak, Bottom right: SpruceTop Left: Weigela, Top right : Rose , Bottom left: Burning bush, Bottom right: Lilac

New Beginnings!

Weather here is very unpredictable. There are some spring days followed by occasional cold days followed by some sunny days. But, with the arrival of spring, our garden got activated. There are some kinds of signs on each & every plant.

Flowering pear & crabapples were the first trees to invite spring with a display of white flowers all over the tree. Since our trees are small there is not much shape of the tree this year. Maybe in 3-5 years the crown of the tree will be more dense and will portray many more blooms.

Crabapples have the buds in dark pink color which fades to white when the flower blooms.

Welcome spring blooms!

This is one of the earliest spring blooms in our garden. The shrub Witch hazel blooms as early as March to April even when it is still cold. During the sunny days this bloom opens to its full shape.

Mulching: Important step in Gardening

Mulching is one of the important and most beneficial practices done in the garden. Mulch is a protective layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil. Mulches can either be organic -- such as grass clippings, straw, bark chips, and similar materials -- or inorganic -- such as stones, brick chips, and plastic. Both organic and inorganic mulches have numerous benefits.

• Protects the soil from erosion
• Reduces compaction from the impact of heavy rains
• Conserves moisture, reducing the need for frequent waterings
• Maintains a more even soil temperature
• Prevents weed growth by blocking sunlight
  
• Keeps fruits and vegetables clean
• Keeps feet clean, allowing access to garden even when damp
• Provides a "finished" look to the garden

Organic mulches also improve the condition of the soil. As these mulches slowly decompose, they provide organic matter which helps keep the soil loose. This improves root growth, increases the infiltration of water, and also improves the water-holding capacity of the soil. Organic matter is a source of plant nutrients and provides an ideal environment for earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms.

While inorganic mulches have their place in certain landscapes, they lack the soil improving properties of organic mulches. Inorganic mulches may be very difficult to remove if you decide to change your garden plans at a later date. They also form hiding & breeding places for number of insects that are not required in the garden.

Mulching is generally recommended in the beginning of the season to prevent weed growth on the garden beds. A good 3-inch depth will be the best to serve this purpose. Too much of mulch is not good for the plants, because it can cause suffocation to the roots. We like to use the finest and darkest hardwood bark mulch for our garden, which was recommended by our landscaper designer friend. To calculate the amount of mulch needed for your project, you can use the mulch calculator from Lowes http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=calcMulch

Every year some of the mulch gets decomposed. For this reason, it is a good idea to spread about 1-2 inches of mulch every growing season. It is good to order mulch from the local nursery if you have larger areas of garden to mulch. They sell the mulch by yards. 1 yard covers about 100 sq feet if you cover 3 inches deep.

Last year, we did lots of garden projects in our yard. It took roughly 20 yards to cover all the beds :-)