To prune ..... or not to prune?

A little pruning can create a beautifully shaped tree.

If you have the itch to get outside and work in the yard a bit ..... This blog is for you!  Admittedly, there is not much going on out there, in fact, we have had snow on the ground a big share of February?  

February's gardening activity is Pruning.  Pick a nice mild day.  Grab your loppers and pruning shears and get busy.  Deciduous trees can be pruned about any time of year but the time they are dormant works best.  There is less stress involved when pruning is done while they are "resting".  Also, their structures can be seen better without leaves.  

I try to keep our young trees shaped up ..... cross over limbs pruned off and main leader limbs left strong.   I keep our full grown trees trimmed up high enough that I can zip around under them on my mower.  When it comes to reshaping these large trees, I call a professional :-)

Spring flowering trees bloom on old wood so should be pruned AFTER they bloom.  Summer flowering trees bloom on new wood so can be trimmed during the winter dormant period.

While you are out there pruning away ..... This is also a great time to prune those shrubs. Some of our's have grown bigger than the space they are in so they will get a hard prune before they "wake-up"!   Our dwarf burning bush has grown to over six foot tall and six feet wide.  This project may involve a chainsaw! 

This is also the time of year that I prune our grapevines.  Those long, chopped off vines make some awesome wreaths.