DESIGN ELEMENTS
- Pruning 101: Deciduous vs Evergreen.
Have you ever had a shrub, say philadelphus that you thought wasn’t performing-no flowers for several years, so you transplanted it or pulled it out?
Perhaps you weren’t timing it right?
Philadelphus coronarius |
Marianne's Tips on Pruning
If you don’t know what shrub or tree that you’ve got, the best advice is to wait until it flowers or sets fruit, and then prune after that.
Pruning group | Pruning method | Time of pruning | Examples of plants |
Flower on current season’s growth | Old wood thing. New growth shortened. | Winter/early spring | Roses, abelia, buddleia. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis |
Flowers on previous season’s growth | Immediately after flowering | Spring | Spiraea, Rondeletia,Prunus glandulosa, Acacia, Callistemon, Grevillea |
Flowering on older wood and spurs | Maintain tidy shape | After flowering | Prunus cerasifera & other prunus species |
For showy fruits | Cut away most of leaders | After fruiting if needed | Cotoneaster, pyracantha, Berberis spp. |
For showy foliage | Prune 50% of growth’ feed and water | Winter to spring | Abutilon, Aucuba japonica-gold dust plant. Buxus. Hebe, Euonymus. |
Non flowering evergreen | Do not prune back beyond green foliage into older wood | Late winter | Conifers |
- In the case of philadelphus, as soon as the shrub had finished flowering, cut out all of the stems which have just flowered.
- Prune them back to around a third of their length. They will soon start to produce new stems which will provide the flowering stems for next year. Don’t just prune little bits off the end
PLANT OF THE WEEK
Hakea petiolaris; Sea Urchin Hakea
There are many reasons to like a particular plant which affects our choices. For some it’s the flowers or the perfume, for others it’s the colour of the leaves.
But for something completely different, others like a plant because of the sound the wind makes through the leaves of that particular plant.
Hakea petiolaris flower |
I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.
Let’s find out.
For grey leaves, and spectacular flowers, the hakea is something to think about if you want a native small tree.
Medium tree 5 to 11 m high. Leaves are pale grey, broadly obovate in shape and range from 5-15cm long by 2.3-6cm wide.
Endemic to the south west of Australia, occurring at the coastal plain, jarrah forest and wheatbelt regions, often at the ancient granite outcrops of Western Australia.
The only thing to watch for is high humidity can make them short lived.
Still, if you collect the seeds, then grow some more from seed and you’ll have another tree quite quickly.
If you have any questions for me or for Adrian, please contact us or write in.
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