If you have gardens you will probably agree that they are always a “work in progress.”
Garden areas can consist of more than just flowers. Shrubs and flowering bushes also play a role in your home’s landscape. The time will come when you need to get rid of old overgrown shrubs and start over. If you let them continue to grow without trimming they can detract from your house and even hide parts of it.
Back in 1980 we knew it was time to replace the yew shrubs in front of our house. We had someone come and dig them out as they were deeply rooted. Landscaper Jimmy Pak planted the replacements. I got a refresher course from him on how to trim the shrubs and their growth was able to be controlled for about 30 years. Then it was time to replace them once again.
By then I was more into gardening so my husband, Peter, and I dug them out ourselves. By using a saw and a shovel we got out all the roots. I went to Park Place garden center and got some really nice yews and put them in myself. That was a little over 10 years ago. I figure they should be fine during my lifetime. If they had gone into the ground at age 70 I don’t think I would be digging them up myself at age 100!
Rhododendrons also need to be pruned regularly or they will get to be about 20 feet high. Some very small rhododendron bushes that I got about 30 years ago are now like a “nature fence” along our property line. They withstand the cold winter temps and wind and once they finish blooming in the summer they can be trimmed back. If you wait too long you will be cutting off next season’s flowers.
The window box under our living room windows is about 6 feet long. It takes a lot of flowers to fill it in the summer months and a lot of boughs in the winter months. Because the box is almost totally shaded I can put boughs in it by late October. The mum plants come out of the box when the boughs go in. I much prefer to look at those in late October than an empty box. Their presence is a statement of nature. By Thanksgiving time there will be small white lights on the boughs for a festive look.
Of course in late October you can’t buy boughs so I had to solve that problem myself. About 20 years ago I planted a mugo pine shrub, some juniper bushes and a blue spruce tree. It took about 10 years to get the boughs I needed but every year they provide a variety of color and texture for the window box. They all work well together and no more trips into the woods during hunting season to gather boughs. I just head to our yard. Mission accomplished!
Before long your mum plants will be finish blooming. Try saving them by cutting them back to about 4 inches and cover them with leaves. Take the layers of leaves off gradually in the spring. Keep a light cover of leaves over the green “shoots” until the weather warms up and the leaves can be completely removed. When the 4th of July rolls around cut the mum plants back to about 4 inches. This will make them full and not spindly for fall blooming. It’s an easy process and you have nothing to lose!
Look for some great bargains in the nursery centers in September. It’s a fun time of year to shop!
