The basics of pruning

Even experienced gardeners are stymied sometimes, especially when it comes to pruning. They often put off pruning for fear of making a mistake, but then wind up with an overgrown mess. As a garden coach I find that a new set of eyes, a few simple suggestions of how to approach a problem and a good deal of pointing and talking with my hands usually gives a gardener the confidence and knowledge to proceed. Eighteen years ago, Dana Slaughter planted an inviting entry garden at her Kent home. A variety of shrubs and small trees underplanted with groundcovers and bulbs made walking to her front door a pleasure year-round. But everything grew. The Japanese maple crowded the front walk, a broadleafed evergreen lily of the valley shrub (Pieris) planted to hide utility boxes had to be constantly hacked back, spiraeas dwindled and a weeping birch started snatching at people’s hair. Given just three guiding principles and a couple of opinions, with an afternoon’s work she gave new life to a now mature planting.When you prune, mentally trace each branch and think where it will grow in five years. If it’s going to hit the house or poke you in the eye, cut it off at the trunk or to a side branch that is growing in the right direction. For Dana, completely removing eye-level and hair-catching branches from the Japanese maple and birch opened a comfortable passage and restored the trees’ natural grace.To shorten branches, don’t cut off just the tips. Pruning the tips stimulates dense growth on the outside of the plant, which you’re trying to make smaller; it also keeps light and air from reaching the inside. Instead, selectively cut back to a fork or remove the entire branch. I suggested thinking of the overgrown Pieris as a multi-stemmed small tree with beautiful “legs” rather than a solid green form. Dana cleaned out dead and overcrowded stems in the center, lopped off the spindly lower branches and those that poked passersby, revealing a beauty.Put the right plant in the right place — and revise as needed. The spiraeas had plenty of sun when the Japanese maple was tiny, but got shaded out. When Dana removed them, that overcrowded look disappeared.I forgot to tell her my cardinal rule of pruning: Never prune when you’re tired — but she probably figured that out herself by the end of the day.Karen Bussolini is an eco-friendly garden coach and NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional. Contact her at 860-927-4122 or kbgarden@charter.net.