Pruning - Fine Gardening

  • pruning
    How-To

    Pruning Shortcuts for the Busy Gardener

    Friends don’t let friends prune without a reason. If you are pruning without a clear idea of why, put down the pruners and walk away from the plant. Trees and…

  • pruning flowering trees
    How-To

    4 Essential Tips for Pruning Flowering Trees

    Pruning can be intimidating. Many of us fear making a mistake our plants won’t recover from. Overall, trees are resilient; with a little practice and know-how, any gardener should be…

  • maple pruned in winter
    How-To

    With Winter Pruning on the Mind, Avoid Cutting on These Woody Plants

    Winter is, broadly speaking, the ideal time to prune most trees and shrubs. Deeply dormant, these woody plants experience less stress when pruned in the winter months, and with cool…

  • summer flowering plants that are good for Chelsea chop
    How-To

    Do You Dare to Try the “Chelsea Chop”?

    In late May, many of us look forward to seeing social media posts about the Chelsea Flower Show. The timing of this event is a reminder that there are many…

  • pruning tool kit
    How-To

    Basic Pruning Terms and Tools

    Assemble a Pruning Tool Kit Having the right equipment will help to ensure pruning success. Here are the basic tools to get the job done right. Tools for your kit…

  • pruning problems
    How-To

    Pruning Conundrums | Letter from the Editor

    Well, it turns out that I’ve been pruning my hydrangeas wrong this whole time. Not my bigleafs (Hydrangea macrophylla)—I have only a couple of those left in my beds, since…

  • pruning smooth hydrangeas
    How-To

    A Better Way to Prune Smooth Hydrangeas

    All of the hydrangeas in the native hydrangea plant trial done at Mt. Cuba Center bloom on new wood, which means that the flower buds develop when the shrub starts…

  • I Am Happy clematis
    How-To

    An Easy Approach to Clematis Pruning

    As gardeners look forward to the joys of spring, we often turn to pruning to exercise our green thumbs. Knowing when and how to prune clematis (Clematis spp. and cvs.,…

  • new veggie garden tools
    How-To

    New Veggie Garden Tools for 2023

    With these transplant tongs, you’ll never damage your seedlings again How many times have you tried to ease your seedlings out of their tray only to shear off some of…

  • overgrown shrub before pruning
    Design

    Rejuvenation Pruning Tips for Overgrown Shrubs

    The mild days of winter offer gardeners an opportunity to tend to tasks that are best done when the landscape is dormant. One of those tasks is the rejuvenation or…