Winter Gardening in the High Desert, Pruning

Even though the first day of spring is not until March 20^th there are many things in the garden that you can do now. This blog post will cover basic winter pruning and winter perennial and grass care. I do not grow fruit trees, just the ornamental varieties. Pruning fruit trees for production is important, timing especially. Try to find someone in your area who works with fruit trees for pruning instructions. 

Here are the basic pruning cuts to do now:

Suckers

You can always remove suckers. They are either coming from the root area, or those straight branches that magically show up one day. They steal the water and nutrients from the rest of the plant. Remove these whenever you see them. This is a weeping crabapple and I found this sucker growing up rather than down, off it comes. 

Broken branches

Just like suckers broken branches can be removed anytime. The tree may use unnecessary energy to try and repair the broken branch, removing it will send the nutrients where they are best used, the healthy part of the plant.
Take the limb back to the main branch. 

Crossed branches

When branches are crossed the wind can rub them together causing open wounds. The open area is a perfect spot for pests like bugs and disease to get into your tree. This tree is a mess and needs general clean up, as well getting rid of the crossed branches. 

Shaping

Many trees do quite well without pruning. It is when a tree is planted in the wrong spot for its size and growth pattern that we need to prune. This means removing lower branches for foot or car traffic. It may also become necessary to remove branches for structural and spacing reasons. Make sure air and light can circulate thought out the tree. Sometimes is it worth the money to hire someone who is trained and experienced in tree pruning. Otherwise keep your pruning to one a few branches at a time, wait 2 to 3 weeks in between heaving pruning this will let the plant recover easier. 

Pruning Perennials and Grasses

As you can see from my photos I have left my perennials for spring pruning. As they go dormant in the fall the nutrients and energy from the leaves and stems will head to the root system for use over the winter. I also feel that leaving the dried  material will help insulate the top of the root zone. Our snow usually melts to fast for 
any insulation benefits. Stating in March I will look for
plants that are showing green close to ground level
and start cleaning up. 
The same goes for grasses, not only it is great looking, but the dried top acts as an insulation for the roots. 

Fall Clean-up November 2013

Now that most of our shrubs and trees have dropped their leaves it is a great time for fall clean up. I do this now for a couple of reasons, one is to make sure there are fewer places for bugs and pests to live over the winter. Because I have decorative rock all around my house I like sweeping and raking getting as much of the debris as possible. I then take it back to the corner of my second acre so it will hopefully get wet and become an great mulch for later us.

 Before some pruning and cleanup 

After pruning and clean-up \

The second reason is so I don't have to work so hard in the spring, I can save my energy for consultations and spring planting.

Here are my nine bark shrubs that have been so lovely all season, before and after some pruning and cleanup. Let me know if you have any concerns with your garden.

gardencoachinreno@gmail.com 

Pruning

Pruning is one of the most interesting and difficult gardening tasks we confront. I have spent years working on this topic, but what I have learned is to select and plant what will naturally fill an area. Pruning should be left to dead, diseased or broken limbs. If you have a trees or shrubs that you are pruning multi times a season to keep it in the area desired you should think about replacing it. Pruning should be done for the health of the plant, not to keep it from invading a walkway or your window.

Before 

Below are two photos of my Vanhutte Spirea, I only made 3 pruning cuts, really 3 cuts but it shaped the shrub nicely. What was most beneficial is that while I was working on the plant I found aphids and addressed the problem. Note that there is not a huge difference but it surely looks better. 

Happy Gardening 

After