Question:
My Weeping Flowering Cherry is several years old and has never been pruned. How far back should I cut the long branches? Should this be done now or later after floweringAnswer:
- I recommend pruning your weeping cherry in the spring after it has bloomed, although it could be pruned now. Spring pruning allows you to enjoy the maximum color the tree can provide, which is a primary reason for planting it in the first place.
- However, with no leaves, the structure of the canopy is exposed, making it easier to remove limbs and branches, including any dead wood.
- Additionally, this is an ideal time to address rubbing and crossing branches, as well as thinning out branches that are too close together. This promotes proper spacing and prevents crowding. With weeping flowering cherries, the pendulous branches may be raised for several reasons, such as revealing the plants behind them, creating a uniform, manicured look, or varying the lengths of the branches for visual interest.
- Unfortunately, many flowering trees often go unpruned since new leaves and growth tend to appear quickly after the blooming cycle. This is especially true with Flowering Plums and Pears.
- At that point, gardeners feel it’s too late to prune. The common myth is that plants die if pruned at the wrong time of year.
- Deciduous trees can be pruned at non-traditional times. Flowering pears, crabapples, or plums should be pruned annually, as they produce significant unnecessary growth at the pruning points.
- This excess growth must be thinned or removed before the canopy becomes a horticultural disaster. They can end up with a very dense canopy with major branches tangled together, leading to damage during windy conditions.
- Flowering cherries are more forgiving due to their slower growth rate, allowing you to skip a year or two and trim the pendulous branches for shape. The extent of the cutback is ultimately a judgment call on your part, ranging from six inches to two feet.
Question:
- It’s common for ornamental grasses like Fountain Grass to turn brown from the winter cold.
- These plants are called basal plants as the new growth is always generated from the base or bottom of the plant. You will find no lateral branches. Hence, they can be pruned back to the ground every winter.
- After Memorial Day, the growth rate will accelerate, and the plant should reach full size by mid-July; however, below-normal summer temperatures will delay the growth.
- I’d suggest encouraging the new development with a handful or two of an organic all-purpose fertilizer in April.