Worked on pruning a couple of my crepe myrtles today since we got our first frost last night. Also pulled up the zinnias as they are finished.
Whatcha Pruning?
Meh, some boring hedge trimming. Still not a real frost/freeze here.
Lucky you! Ours wasn't a hard one, but enough that I could no longer pick a zinnia. They were so beautiful I hated to see them go until there were none left. I did "crepe. Murder" the myrtles at the fence. Only slightly pruned a few others. Fingers crossed they will come back!
Handyman asked about the tree by our back deck, I said, "It's a Crepe Myrtle." "I thought it might be," he said, "but I've never seen one with what I guess is its natural shape. People always do that chopped-off pruning thing to them. I like yours much better!"
I did some work on the yew by our front door. I've been gradually reducing its size the past few years and letting in more light... I'd been neglecting it, just doing a quick trim once or twice a year since Joyanna came along, and predictably it developed that "green skin over dead bush" structure. It's looking better -- yews are tough. I did loosen up its surface more than is usual for a yew, but it'll fill in again in spring. Meanwhile, I think I'd better get out its set of net lights...
Zinnias are definitely done here, too. I'll have to see if the birds have left me any seeds. :-)
Let me know about the seed situation Jill. I harvested a large bag full.
I'll have to post a pic of my pruning job. At the fence I did cut them back to fence height like they were last year, several others a light pruning of top stragglers and a few more are already too large to contend with.
I need to prune back my Junipers a bit too. Cut off the new growth from last year.
In spring--it will grow out serious new growths and then I have to hack that off too.
These two old Junipers are original landscape plantings. I have lived here 46 years now,
The one Yew needs trimming too.
I try to keep my 2 Canadian hemlocks in shape as well--These are also quite old.
Pretty much dead inside --like Jill said-- "green skin over dead bush" ....
Now that it is getting colder--I really don't feel much like gardening..
And--many of these spring-like days are spent doing other things..
Have to dig up my 3 Cannas today! Gita
eeew, pruning junipers. I battled a couple of those at the townhouse and swore never again... so when the developer "gifted" us with mounding junipers in our foundation plantings, I promptly dug them up and gave them away.
Candee, zinnia seeds are always welcome here! I hope you'll plan a weekend gettaway and try to come up for the seed swap. It would be super to see you!
Speaking of which, if anybody is thinking that far ahead, I'd like to see if a Sunday works this year... Jan 31 or Feb 7, with Feb 21 as a "rain date" in case of bad weather.
I fought with Gold mop 'cypress' trying to keep them under six feet tall and eight feet wide, but gave up. No regrets; except the unavoidable 'wish I knew then' when I planted them.
Magnolia Little Gem suffers the same indignity- wrong place making me fight it's natural shape to keep the walkway clear. And I kind of hate how it blocks the front of the house. He'd be pretty awesome, if he were in the spot in back where a native dogwood now thrives. I can just see it as backdrop for my deciduous azaleas. I ought to bite the bullet, take out the dogwood and Little Gem, buy a NEW Little gem and place it there. I have plenty of dogwood for one half acre. Hm, I wonder if I really COULD fit the LG there... it is WAY too easy to underestimate mature size, but I have one here to show me exactly what it would do in 25 years.
Another thing we fight with pruning is good ol Euonymus Manhattan. We took it down to stubs about eight years ago and it's crept back to five feet.
Oh Sally you remind me how much I miss my dogwoods. I keep a picture of them framed in our guest bedroom.
Jill, message your addy and I will send some your way. We will be up in January stopping in Frederick for a doctor appt for Steve but no plans to be back up again until more doctor appts in April.
Now, have I mentioned all the roses on this new property, ugh! Not my favorite things to fool with. Also I pruned a Felix photinia that was diseased and spread it like hoecakes and not sure it will survive. Has tried three times but still diseased and spraying not helping. I have another further away that is not infected and am afraid to touch it!
I like the junipers and had them in a spot where not much pruning mattered, but no plans to do it agaiin gitagal!
Will do, Candee, thanks! No such thing as too many zinnias... we had a bigger patch of them this year and plan to sow still more next year. :-)
Pruning roses... definitely a pain, in more ways than one. I need to seriously whack the knockouts in front again... I think the "best" time is supposed to be late winter / early spring?
Sally, one thing I've been coming to terms with lately is that if a tree is simply in the wrong place or grown too large for its spot, and it's too big to transplant, IT IS OK TO CUT IT DOWN. even if it is a TREE. I sure wince if/when i do it, though.
I hope to soon get after my apple, I like to get suckered and shaped before using dormant oil on it. Everything else is pretty much in good shape. Winning that $400 landscape certificate at last springs York show was just great, we used it to have all the hedges and holly done.
This was your year for good garden prizes!
Charlie (new handyman) was here today finishing up some repairs to the back patio. Mitch came with him and worked with me, getting some of the baby trees & shrubs surrounded by chicken wire, which I sincerely hope will keep them from being damaged by groundhogs & worse this winter. Mitch is also doing some pruning & removal for me in back... pruning back some volunteer black raspberries, "weed" mimosa saplings, etc.
I have to get out there tomorrow and finish pruning an apple tree too... cut back half of what I wanted to remove in spring, doing the other half now... Mitch and Charlie are going to haul away all the branches & brush for me. Yes, I do have brush piles, but they don't need a whole bunch of stuff at once added to them. :-)
I'll have my work cut out for me tomorrow playing catch-up in the garden, but I'll limb up a young maple if I remember. I might leave my backyard garden beds as is until late winter or until I can't stand how they look, whichever comes first.
I have a bit of the same mindset down here Jill. I didn't plant a lot of this stuff that came with the place so if it thrives great, if not out it goes with little remorse.
Raining here all day and next will be busy with kids coming for the holiday. Will likely get out the first of December and cut the roses. Hate to yet as they are still in bloom.