Out With the Old

            It is a beautiful day out there and sky’s the limit as to what you could do..

            You could prune out the old wood and bring back into shape the flowering shrubs that are done flowering.

This is a good time to do this on account of a flowering “whatever” plant typically needs three months of active leaf growth in order to set next year’s flower buds; by pruning it now the plant will have more than enough time to set these buds.

Now, when I say “old wood” I’m not just talking about the dead branches, but also the old barky stuff that is hard pressed to produce a respectable amount of flowers. On a Lilac for instance the smooth trunks and branches are the young flower baring wood; the rough barked branches don’t have the same flower production abilities. Cut out all the old and trim up the new to balance out the overall look of tree or bush.

Have a great day!!