A trip to Cistus Nursery is always inspiring. I saved this shot — from a visit last January — as an inspiring reminder to drastically prune my Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Harmony.' After all, while the leaves and flowers of an Arctostaphylos are nice, the main attraction is the twisty, dark, branching structure.
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I'd been on a yearly pruning schedule for ‘Harmony,' but just never got around to doing the deed last year. And it showed. Oh my gosh how it showed. Hello big green blob.
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Blob as seen through the Tetrapanax trunks.
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Blob as seen from the front sidewalk (extra ugly photos too, thanks to the harsh light).
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Last Tuesday — armed with an empty yard waste bin, sharp pruners, and a small saw — I got to work.
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Three and a half hours later the 64-gallon bin was nearly full...
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And there was a pile of large branches in the driveway.
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I didn't get back out to take my "after" photos until later in the week. But Vive La Différence!
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Structure, revealed!
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I am thrilled to see that beautiful bark again.
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And my, the Podocarpus alpinus ‘Orangeade’ (that's what I bought it as, the name may have changed?) has grown!
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There is one downside to this satisfying project however, and the advice is everywhere (here, here, here) you should only remove a third of the branching structure, or foliage, when pruning a tree or shrub. This is usually cited as something of importance to the plant. I'm here to tell you it's also a great rule of thumb for the health of the gardener.
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I know I removed more than a third of this Manzanita, mainly with my hand pruners. Later that night — while making dinner — my thumb and the entire side of my palm kind of seized up. By the time I went to sleep that night I couldn't even bend my thumb without excruciating pain. I alternated ice and heat, and then hit the Ibuprofen. Finally two days later the pain was subsiding, but even now it still lingers. Lesson learned, ease into the massive pruning jobs in a new gardening season!
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Oh and if you're going to prune while the plant is blomming, watch for the bees...
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Weather Diary, March 26: Hi 50, Low 39/ Precip .03"
All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden (dg). Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Blob as seen from the front sidewalk (extra ugly photos too, thanks to the harsh light).
Last Tuesday — armed with an empty yard waste bin, sharp pruners, and a small saw — I got to work.
I didn't get back out to take my "after" photos until later in the week. But Vive La Différence!
Structure, revealed!
And my, the Podocarpus alpinus ‘Orangeade’ (that's what I bought it as, the name may have changed?) has grown!
There is one downside to this satisfying project however, and the advice is everywhere (here, here, here) you should only remove a third of the branching structure, or foliage, when pruning a tree or shrub. This is usually cited as something of importance to the plant. I'm here to tell you it's also a great rule of thumb for the health of the gardener.
Oh and if you're going to prune while the plant is blomming, watch for the bees...
Weather Diary, March 26: Hi 50, Low 39/ Precip .03"
All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden (dg). Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.