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Spring is upon us. It’s true that
April showers bring May flowers, and
adding your own proactive plan to
Mother Nature’s schedule can really
increase the promised beauty of your
garden. So, before the splendor of
the season engulfs us, now is the time
for a few final yard and garden tasks:
pruning, transplanting and dividing
existing plants.
First, to prune or not to prune is
an important question. Understanding
where, when, and how to trim can
mean all the difference in how your
trees and shrubs grow. Whether you
want to cosmetically shape a plant or
to simply maintain its height, pruning
is a great way to encourage more
blooms by reinvigorating mature
plants and prompting new or young
plants to fill out. Also, pruning allows
for more light to enter the interiors
of the plant for balanced growth and
air movement, which can help resist
mildews from starting or spreading.
Tips on pruning: In general,
our region falls loosely into what is
called the “May rule.” If your trees
or shrubs bloom before May – such as
Forsythia, Pieris, and Azaleas -- their
blooms were already set last year. Do
not trim those now if you want to see
them bloom this Spring. If they need
trimming, wait until shortly after all
blooms have faded.
Summer bloomers such as
Butterfly Bushes, Hydrangeas, and
treeor shrubvarieties ofCrapeMyrtles
bloom on new growth so they need to
be trimmed now. Unless your plant
is completely out of control, never
trim more than one third of existing
Weeder’s Digest
March into the garden; the result will be
a May zing.
By Bob Siren
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
Spring 2014
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