The Art of Pruning - The Basics

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There are many reasons why one needs to prune. Pruning keeps the plants within their bounds and promotes stronger stems. It removes damaged or diseased stems and it encourages flower growth. It also is used to train plants into a desired shape. Before you start pruning it is essential that you have the correct tools ready. Firstly you need to protect your hands, so a pair of strong gloves is needed. Then you need to have a narrow bladed pruning saw, a pair of long handled loppers and a pair of sharp secateurs. Now you are ready to begin.

Begin with the basics. First cut back any diseased or damaged branches. Cut back to the undamaged and health branches. If there are two branches that are crossing, cut the most awkwardly placed branch back to the main stem. If there are any weak branches, cut them right down to the base. Pruning to preserve the shape of the tree or shrub or if you are want to promote growth, then the pruning is done between the buds on the stems. If the buds are positioned opposite each other on the stem, make a clean horizontal cut just above them, about 1 cm. If the buds are placed alternately you should angle the cut, starting on the opposite side of the stem and slanting upwards so the top of the cut is about 1 cm above the bud on the other side. Remember that if you want to influence the shape of the tree or shrub you will need to prune back to two or more buds, as the new branch will grow in the direction the bud you prune to, is facing. For example, if a plant is growing over the path or paving, try to prune away from the path or paving, while if possible, not to spoil the plants overall shape.

Knowing when to prune which plants is important. There are shrubs that flower on the current year's growth. These are pruned in early spring which promotes further flowering and growth later in the season. Other shrubs flower on a one year old wood and flower early in spring. These are cut back as soon as their flowers have faded. This ensures flowering the following season. Any trimming of shrubs that produce their flowers on short growths which extend from the main branch should be done in late spring, once the flowering has finished.

Keep an eye out for shrubs with variegated leaves. They sometimes produce a stem with plain green leaves. This must be cut right back. These shoots grow more vigorously than those with variegated leaves and if left will take over the plant. Give a little of your time to pruning and the garden will reward you with beauty.

14 Simple Gardening Tips and Tricks

Here are the latest tips and tricks from Paul James, host of Gardening by the Yard:

1. To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.

2. To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be sparkling clean.

3. To prevent the line on your string trimmer from jamming or breaking, treat with a spray vegetable oil before installing it in the trimmer.

4. Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick! Lay a long-handled garden tool on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain distance apart (from just an inch to several feet) you'll already have a measuring device in your hand.

5. To have garden twine handy when you need it, just stick a ball of twine in a small clay pot, pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole, and set the pot upside down in the garden. Do that, and you'll never go looking for twine again.

6. Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden, overnight frosts and freezes.

7. To turn a clay pot into a hose guide, just stab a roughly one-foot length of steel reinforcing bar into the ground at the corner of a bed and slip two clay pots over it: one facing down, the other facing up. The guides will prevent damage to your plants as you drag the hose along the bed.

8. To create perfectly natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker) on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants.

9. Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape! Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little buggers like to hide.

10. The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain, use it to water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable soup."

11. Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

12. Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings quite suddenly. Just add a spot of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or use it as a foliar spray.

13. If you need an instant table for tea service, look no farther than your collection of clay pots and saucers. Just flip a good-sized pot over, and top it off with a large saucer. And when you've had your share of tea, fill the saucer with water, and your "table" is now a birdbath.

14. The quickest way in the world to dry herbs: just lay a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car, arrange the herbs in a single layer, then roll up the windows and close the doors. Your herbs will be quickly dried to perfection. What's more, your car will smell great.

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