Question:
Should the English Lavender flowers be pruned off after flowering? Our plants are thriving with little water or care, so is there any other maintenance we should do?Answer:
- English Lavender is a small evergreen shrub planted for its gray-green foliage and fragrant purple flowers.
- The biggest problem with Lavender is that they get over-watered and becomes ratty looking in time. Another problem is the companion plants mixed with the Lavenders. These plants require more water and fertilizer. So, the plant selection of the surrounding plants is important.
- While Lavender plants thrive on neglect, they're groomed in the spring after flowering. First off, you should remove any deadwood. Next, trim off the old, spent flowers along with the stems.
- Your goal is to remove about one-third of the growth from last year. Also, make sure your hand shears are sharp to avoid injuring the plant(s). A pair of head shears or an electric trimmer can be used. Pruning the plant(s) back to bare stems should be avoided at all costs.
- After pruning, I'd apply an Organic All purpose fertilizer to encourage the growth. One feeding a year is all that is necessary. And finally, mulching the plants with a three-inch layer of organic matter for moisture conservation is encouraged. I wouldn't change a thing you are currently doing or suggest anything different.
Question:
We bought a five-gallon pine tree as a living tree last Christmas. Is this the time to transplant it into a large container? Also, how might we keep it from getting too big?Answer:
- There is no need to wait as the living Christmas tree can be transplanted now.
- You should select an enormous container, about the size of half a wine barrel or a twenty-four by eighteen-inch lightweight plastic pot. Most of the pine trees used as living Christmas trees are not small trees by nature.
- When mature, these rapidly growing evergreen trees can reach a height of fifty to eighty feet with a wide spread. The plant is groomed or sheared to have that 'Christmas Tree' shape when they are young. However, they will lose this shape quickly as they mature.
- Their natural shape is more oval or round. You can control the size by trimming the new or 'candle growth.' The 'candle growth' is the long, upright shoots visible in the spring. They will extend above the mature needles at the end of the branches. With a pair of hand shears, I'd cut the new growth off where the new growth meets the old.
- Eventually, your tree will need to be planted in the ground, but it may be too big for most of today's smaller yards. Alberta Spruce is the ideal Living Xmas Tree. It has a slow growth rate and keeps its shape without much care. It can be grown in a container for an extended period or planted in the landscape. They typically don't grow over ten feet tall.