Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Pruning Shrubs


It’s time to prune shrubs.
We pruned the Crepe Myrtle last weekend. First, I checked the University of Virginia pruning publications. The best time to prune crepe myrtle is January, February and March. Virginia is in hardiness Zone 7 but it’s close enough to my zone 6 to use with only slight adjustments. It’s a great resource.

Crepe myrtle blooms on new wood so cutting back the old wood shouldn’t hurt the blooms. Ours grows by about 1/3 each year. We cut a little more than 1/3 to keep it in bounds. We also cut crossover branches.

Here are the links to the University of Virginia Publications:

Guide to Pruning Deciduous Trees
Deciduous Trees Pruning Calendar
Guide to Pruning Evergreen Trees
Guide to Pruning Shrubs
Shrub Pruning Calendar

I will be away this coming weekend. Part of the weekend will be spent at the Philadelphia Flower Show. It’s always exciting. This year’s theme is “Springtime in Paris”. Ooh-la-la!

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The Valley Flower and Garden Show runs March 11-13. I’ll try to stop in before I leave. It’s fantastic to have a flower show back in the Lehigh Valley after a few years cancellation.
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