Good gardening consists of far more than setting plants in the soil. One of the best gardeners of the last three score years said, “It is thoroughness, thoroughness, thoroughness that I preach. The cheapest and best of investments— the gardener’s richest capital.” Reginald Farrer wrote these words, and as he was acknowledged to be one … Read more
Ever tried to cut off a limb of a tree with a carpenter’s saw? If the limb was small or dead, you probably didn’t encounter many serious difficulties, but if it was reasonably good-sized and green. You had a tussle on your hands. Better use a pruning saw next time — the job will seem … Read more
The gardener who knows how and which plants to shear, and is not afraid to cut, will have a neater garden and often a second crop of blossoms, sometimes a third. Is your annual sweet alyssum looking seedy and untidy? Shear about an inch off the top—enough to remove the seeds. For continuous bloom, some … Read more
July is a good time to think about the first step of planning an overall home landscape: how much you can handle without getting tired of gardening. You’ll be wise to start with the minimum—perhaps a good lawn, shade trees, and a few slow-growing evergreens for the foundation planting. After these are doing well, you … Read more
Growing bush fruits in your backyard brings a double pleasure. When you pick them fresh from the garden in the early morning and serve them for breakfast covered with sugar and cream, and taste the raspberry jam, gooseberry tarts, currant jelly, or blueberry muffins, you not only have the well-being that comes with eating good … Read more
Pruning may be defined as the art and science of cutting away a portion of the plant to improve its shape, influence its growth, flowering, and fruitfulness, and improve the quality of the product. Pruning Improvement Experiments have demonstrated a definite improvement in fruit size, color, and quality in response to pruning. These three factors … Read more
A good gardener will not allow a flowering plant to grow haphazardly. He will pinch off a wayward shoot or an excess bud. He is pruning. So a tree, which is a large plant, should be pruned. Pruning is a natural and necessary process. It removes parts injured in the past and a building for … Read more
Yews are, without question, the most useful and permanent evergreens in our gardens. Except for the few varieties that are very slow growing, most grow quickly. In fact, they develop too rapidly to be allowed to go without pruning when used in foundation plantings or formal gardens, or as hedges. Japanese Yews: Annual Pruning The … Read more
Rose expert Paul Zimmerman gets plenty of questions from confused gardeners on how to prune climbing roses. Before the rose pruning season gets underway, Paul explains one essential item you need to know to make pruning less stressful. What’s the essential? It’s more than picking the best Rose Fertilizer. It knows the difference between laterals … Read more
Spring pruning of established roses is always a gamble. If you prune too early, late spring frosts can kill all the canes. If you prune too late, some of the plants’ strength will be lost in the growth of the top shoots. You and you alone must judge when to prune your roses. All roses … Read more