Pruning

Question: What's the trick to making pruned shrubs look good? Mine look hacked up and then don't grow the way I want. Answer: Try to work with the plant's natural growth habit. If it wants to cascade, don't try to make it round or square. If its natural inclination is to have multiple trunks, you can make it a single trunk, but it will need continual pruning of new trunks. Shrubs look more natural if you cut back to a larger branch or a bud. The direction a bud or branch is pointing, is the direction new growth will go. Thus you can control the direction of your plant's branch by cutting to a bud that faces the direction you want.

My trees look ratty. Can I prune now before the leaves come out? Should I put that black gunk on the cuts? I've never done this before. March is an excellent time to prune trees. Without leaves, you have a much better view of what needs to be done. Altogether, don't remove more than one-fourth of the tree canopy in one year. First remove dead limbs. Where two branches rub across each other creating an entry wound for disease, remove one of the branches. Young trees need to be trained to one trunk, unless it's a multi-trunk species such as river birch.

I recently bought a house in the city that has a large, neglected apple tree -- more than 20 feet tall. Will I kill it if I prune it back severely? Is this a good time to prune?It may take two to three years to renovate a dense, overgrown tree. If the tree is fairly healthy you can reduce its height by one-third without damaging the tree. Remove weak, diseased and crossing branches along with the large limbs high up in the tree. Be certain that you have the tools and necessary help to handle large branches.

My azaleas are so big that they're growing above my kitchen windowsills. I know you're not supposed to prune until after they bloom in spring, but I can't wait that long. Will I ruin these shrubs by pruning now? It's best to wait, because late season pruning can stimulate your shrubs to produce new shoots. This uses up the plants' stored energy and makes it harder for them to prepare for winter survival. Also, the new shoots may not have time to mature and harden for winter, which risks killing them.

Pruning and application of dormant sprays to shrubs and ornamental and fruit trees are timely tasks for home gardeners during the next few weeks.Both are best accomplished when the weather is mild enough to work comfortably outdoors and before warming causes sap to rise.Judicious pruning of woody plants, even if there has been little winter damage, will encourage vigorous growth, promote better health and enhance appearance.Dormant sprays are effective against many pests that spend the winter on stems, branches and in bark crevices.

Q.I planted a row of 10 white pines and spruces several years ago and want to begin pruning and training them so they will develop into large, healthy trees. How do I start?A.Start with a pair of sharp hand pruners. Spruces and pines produce new growth ("candles") each spring at the ends of their branches. The candles are compact, elongated and light-green in color. Pruning back the candles halfway will force two new shoots to emerge from the cut. This will cause the trees to fill out more quickly.

I am so disappointed that my lilacs didn't bloom this year. They bloomed beautifully last year but were so overgrown that I had to cut them back in the fall. I fertilized them, and I don't see any pest problems.Did my pruning damage these lovely shrubs?Your pruning work didn't damage your lilacs, but it removed the buds that would have produced this year's blooms. Your plants will come back and flower next year, however.Many types of lilacs do require yearly pruning to keep them productive and manageable.

At first, it seems like a paradox: One of the most effective ways toencourage the growth of a healthy, attractive tree or shrub is actually to cut, saw or otherwise chop at it methodically.Pruning at its best can rise to the level of an art with potential for a personal, creative touch. By pruning, you can enhance a plant's natural growth pattern and coax it into its optimum shape.Besides training a plant's growth, pruning provides other gardening benefits. When transplanting, good pruning can make the differencebetween life and death for your plant.

Once when I got a new job, I nearly leveled a privet hedge.The job change coincided with a move to a different house, surrounded by untrimmed greenery.At work, I faced challenges, intrigue, competition -- stress city. On my days off, I tried to relax.Soon, the way to do that became clear. I began pruning the poor privets. Every week.A nip here, a slice there with the long-handled trimmers, the manual trimming equipment that required lots of energy and yielded lots of satisfaction.I felt better, but the ever-dwindling row along the driveway started looking scared.

Q. I have an old, healthy crab apple tree that has become a tangle of branches, many of which are dead or dying. How severely should I prune it to keep it healthy? A. First, prune out all the dead branches. Then remove weak or dying branches, especially those growing across or into the middle of the canopy. If two branches are rubbing, remove the weaker one. Don't simply remove the ends of branches; make your pruning cut back to the next healthy branch or limb. You will probably end up with a lot of wood on the ground, but your tree will live longer as a result.

Two of my three mophead hydrangeas have no flowers. I pruned all of them to the ground this spring like the nursery told me when I bought my Blushing Bride hydrangea. Now only the Blushing Bride has blooms. Are the other two getting too old to bloom? The nursery was right about how to prune Blushing Bride hydrangea, but it is not like your other mophead hydrangeas. They cannot be pruned the same way. All three are Hydrangea macrophylla, but Blushing Bride is an Endless Summer variety.

When do I prune my crape myrtle? Never, if that suits you. Crape myrtles bloom on new growth. A healthy shrub puts out new growth each year and, thus, new blooms, too. A pruned shrubs reacts by putting out more new growth, but heavy pruning is not necessary to enjoy crape myrtle blooms. Of course, crape myrtles may grow too large or need pruning for other reasons, but the annual chopping (known in some circles as "crape murder") is not required for blooming crape myrtles. Any pruning should be done in late winter/early spring.

Question: On my young shade tree, two branches suddenly zoomed up that are taller than the rest. Should I cut them back to the same height as the others? Answer: Your tree has produced two leaders. Generally shade trees should have one dominant leader branch which is taller and stronger than all others. You want to encourage this leader to direct growth upwards. Choose your straightest, most vigorous, and best-positioned leader to retain. Prune the competing leader several inches shorter, so it does not out grow the leader.

Question: What's the trick to making pruned shrubs look good? Mine look hacked up and then don't grow the way I want. Answer: Try to work with the plant's natural growth habit. If it wants to cascade, don't try to make it round or square. If its natural inclination is to have multiple trunks, you can make it a single trunk, but it will need continual pruning of new trunks. Shrubs look more natural if you cut back to a larger branch or a bud. The direction a bud or branch is pointing, is the direction new growth will go. Thus you can control the direction of your plant's branch by cutting to a bud that faces the direction you want.

Ginger Hale from Ruxton wrote in search of a recipe she has lost for pork chops cooked with prunes and molasses. She said that her mother got the recipe in the mid-1940s from what must have been one of the earliest TV cooking shows. Unfortunately, I did not receive any answers from readers about this particular recipe, but I was confident that I could find something close to what Hale was looking for if I searched the Internet. These days pork, either stuffed or cooked with dried fruit, is a popular combination.

Question: Is it time to prune roses? Answer: Technically, you can prune as soon as your roses go dormant. However, that can be risky because you can't predict how much winter damage the branches may sustain. If you cut back your rose now and a severe winter causes lots of dieback, you may end up with a much less rose than you planned. We recommend that you wait until spring and prune when the leaf buds are just coming out. That said, you can remove a stray branch any time, for instance one obstructing a sidewalk.

We have an old lilac shrub that has gotten tall and lanky. If we cut it back now, will the plant thicken up? As lilacs mature, they often get lanky and become dominated by a few old branches. However, they do live for many years and regrow well after renewal pruning. Plants respond best to this type of pruning in early spring, but if you prune your lilac in the next few weeks, it should be fine. The goal of renewal pruning is to remove some of the old dominant branches so that new branches grow from the base.

Two weeks ago, I pruned four shrubs (an evergreen, a flowering species, a prickly bush and a green-yellow spotted leaf). Wish I knew the names. I pruned them way back. I'm worried that I may have pruned too much. In general, avoid pruning woody plants from late summer until plants go dormant. Pruning stimulates growth. New growth may not harden before winter and be killed, wasting the plant's energies. Since different shrubs require different pruning regimens, get your plants identified before pruning.

Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, is holding a series of talks by its professional gardeners, who will give behind-the-scenes views of plant care and demonstrations this spring and summer. "In the Garden" includes a nature walk at 9:30 a.m., before the program. The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members. Scheduled programs are: composting, May 1; guided walking tour of trees and shrubs, May 5; wisteria pruning, June 26; espalier pruning, July 1; yew shearing, July 8; pond care, July 15; climbing rose pruning, July 22; boxwood shearing, July 29; repotting, Aug. 12; turf maintenance, Aug. 19; hemlock shearing, Sept.