My inbox has been filled lately with pruning questions. Specifically, how to prune back overgrown flowering shrubs.
Chihuahuan Sage (Leucophyllum laevigatum)
You may be wondering why you need to severely prune back overgrown shrubs?
Well, as you can see from the photo, above – as a shrub’s branches age, they produce fewer leaves and flowers. As time passes – these branches die, which leave ugly, bare areas.
Here are a few more examples of overgrown shrubs that need to be severely pruned back…
‘White Cloud’ Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘White Cloud’)
You may think the formally pruned sage shrubs in the photo above, look okay besides being a bit on the large side.
But, what you don’t see is a large amount of dead branches inside. In reality, these shrubs are covered in a very thin layer of growth.
Here is an example of old Cassia (Senna nemophila) shrubs that have only been pruned formally. You can see that there are more dead areas than live growth.
So, how do you go about severely pruning old, overgrown shrubs back?
First of all – don’t do this during cooler months because it will take your shrubs a very long time to grow back. In addition, it can make frost-tender shrubs more susceptible to frost damage. Wait until spring for pruning back summer-flowering shrubs such as bougainvillea, sage, oleanders, etc.
You need a good pair of loppers and sometimes a pruning saw and you are ready to go. Simply prune your shrub back until there is only about 1 – 2 ft left.
Hedge trimmers can help if you use them to remove the outer part of the shrub and then you can get your loppers inside to prune off larger branches toward the base.
Below, are photos of ‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’) shrubs that started out overgrown, were pruned back severely, and grew back.
Overgrown shrubs.
Pruned back to 1 ft.
This is the ugly stage. But you need to go through this ‘awkward’ stage to achieve beautiful, healthy shrubs.
I promise that it doesn’t last long…
New growth appears 3 weeks later
8 weeks after pruning.
12 weeks after severe pruning.
You can see that the severe pruning caused the shrub to grow young, new branches that produce beautiful green growth and flowers.
**Although severe renewal pruning keeps your shrubs healthy and attractive – there are a few cases when an old, overgrown shrub won’t grow back. It is doubtful that the Cassia shrubs, above, will survive for long either with or without severe pruning).
This usually indicates that the shrub has declined too much and would not have survived for long even without pruning. If this happens, you are better off replacing your shrub.**
Hand pruners, pruning saw and loppers
A good guideline for severely pruning your shrubs is to do this every 3 years or so. Of course, you can do this every year if you like to help keep your shrubs from outgrowing their space.
I hope that this helps to answer some of your questions.
If you would like to learn more about how to prune shrubs the right way, I invite you to learn more about my popular online shrub pruning workshop.
Spring Cleaning – Severe Renewal Pruning
Arizona garden, AZ Plant Lady, AZ Plant Lady Classes, California desert garden, desert gardening, Landscape Problems, Las Vegas gardening, Nevada garden, Pruning, ShrubsMy inbox has been filled lately with pruning questions. Specifically, how to prune back overgrown flowering shrubs.
Chihuahuan Sage (Leucophyllum laevigatum)
You may be wondering why you need to severely prune back overgrown shrubs?
Well, as you can see from the photo, above – as a shrub’s branches age, they produce fewer leaves and flowers. As time passes – these branches die, which leave ugly, bare areas.
Here are a few more examples of overgrown shrubs that need to be severely pruned back…
‘White Cloud’ Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘White Cloud’)
You may think the formally pruned sage shrubs in the photo above, look okay besides being a bit on the large side.
But, what you don’t see is a large amount of dead branches inside. In reality, these shrubs are covered in a very thin layer of growth.
Here is an example of old Cassia (Senna nemophila) shrubs that have only been pruned formally. You can see that there are more dead areas than live growth.
So, how do you go about severely pruning old, overgrown shrubs back?
First of all – don’t do this during cooler months because it will take your shrubs a very long time to grow back. In addition, it can make frost-tender shrubs more susceptible to frost damage. Wait until spring for pruning back summer-flowering shrubs such as bougainvillea, sage, oleanders, etc.
You need a good pair of loppers and sometimes a pruning saw and you are ready to go. Simply prune your shrub back until there is only about 1 – 2 ft left.
Hedge trimmers can help if you use them to remove the outer part of the shrub and then you can get your loppers inside to prune off larger branches toward the base.
Below, are photos of ‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’) shrubs that started out overgrown, were pruned back severely, and grew back.
Overgrown shrubs.
Pruned back to 1 ft.
This is the ugly stage. But you need to go through this ‘awkward’ stage to achieve beautiful, healthy shrubs.
I promise that it doesn’t last long…
New growth appears 3 weeks later
8 weeks after pruning.
12 weeks after severe pruning.
You can see that the severe pruning caused the shrub to grow young, new branches that produce beautiful green growth and flowers.
**Although severe renewal pruning keeps your shrubs healthy and attractive – there are a few cases when an old, overgrown shrub won’t grow back. It is doubtful that the Cassia shrubs, above, will survive for long either with or without severe pruning).
This usually indicates that the shrub has declined too much and would not have survived for long even without pruning. If this happens, you are better off replacing your shrub.**
Hand pruners, pruning saw and loppers
A good guideline for severely pruning your shrubs is to do this every 3 years or so. Of course, you can do this every year if you like to help keep your shrubs from outgrowing their space.
I hope that this helps to answer some of your questions.
If you would like to learn more about how to prune shrubs the right way, I invite you to learn more about my popular online shrub pruning workshop.
From Humble Beginnings…
AZ Plant LadyDo you know what these are?
They look like a pile of match sticks, don’t they?
I never cease to be amazed at the humble beginnings that most flowers arise from.
Can you tell what type of seeds these are?
They are marigold seeds.
Marigolds are very easy to grow from seed. Once the flowers die, simply pull out the dried petals and you have seeds with which to plant new ones.
I use marigolds in my vegetable gardens as a companion plant.
They not only look pretty, but also help to repel damaging bugs from attacking my vegetables.
During mild winters, they will grow from fall through spring – but can be killed back from freezing temperatures. They usually die in summer in my desert garden. But, once the cooler weather of fall arrives, they come up again from seed.
They meet my criteria of a fuss-free plant. Marigolds don’t need rich soil or fertilizer. Where you plant them is up to you, but they do best in sunny areas.
Marigolds also make great container plants and also look nice in bouquets.
You can find marigolds at most nurseries where annual flowers are located. Or, you can plant them easily from seed.
How about you?
Have you ever grown marigolds?
How do you use them in your garden?
Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Red Yucca
AZ Plant Lady, desert, Landscape DesignWhen you pair beauty and low-maintenance in a single type of plant – that is one that I highly recommend.
Earlier this week, I was doing a landscape consult with a client who had multiple (Hesperaloe parviflora) plants throughout his garden and I was reminded again, how much I enjoy this succulent plant.
I’d love to share with you just a few of the many reasons to add red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) to your landscape…
First of all, its flowers are beautiful and appear May through September and hummingbirds find them irresistible. Red yucca isn’t only drought tolerant but is hardy to -20 degrees, making it suitable for planting in many different planting zones. Although it often referred to by the common name ‘yucca’ – it isn’t a yucca at all.
Even when not in flower, its grass-like succulent foliage add texture to the landscape. I really like how they look when planted in groups of three.
**When adding multiple plants of the same kind – focus on adding them in odd numbered groupings such as 3 or 5. The reason is that odd numbered plant groupings are more pleasing to the eye.
In addition to the more traditional red/pink colored flowers, there is also a yellow variety available. They are the same as red yucca with the flower color being the only difference.
Their requirements are few…. full sun, well-drained soil and periodic deep watering.
Red yucca plants are extremely low-maintenance. All you need to do is to prune off dead flower stalks in the fall.
Don’t prune the foliage like the homeowner did in the photo above – why create more maintenance then is needed? Especially when it results in turning an attractive plant ‘ugly’?
**You can read more about my past experience with this type of pruning to red yucca that was done by a member of my crew in a previous blog post:
“Do This, Not That”
Red or yellow yucca thrive in areas with reflected sun and heat. They also do well around swimming pools and in pots.
I love how this yellow yucca was placed between garage doors, don’t you? It is almost impossible to find a plant that will do well in this unforgiving location.
Over time, red yucca can become overgrown. The photo above are from my client’s front yard. His red yucca aren’t quite overgrown yet, but will eventually get there in 2 – 3 years.
What I recommend is to simply take them out and replace them when that happens. You don’t even have to buy a new red yucca to replace them with. Simply separate a small section of the overgrown plant that you just removed and re-plant it.
What’s not to love about this fabulous plant? I hope you will decide to try red or yellow yucca in your landscape.
An Old Whiskey Barrel and Corn Seeds
AZ Plant LadyA couple of months ago, the new Burpee seed catalog came in the mail, which is always an exciting event in my world.
You see, I have been reading through their catalog since I was a little girl. I would go through the entire catalog and read the descriptions of flowers and vegetables and circle the ones that I would plant in my imaginary garden.
Now that I am all grown up, I actually buy the seeds I like and plant them in my ‘real’ garden.
One of the seed descriptions caught my attention. Corn that you can grow in a container – yes, you heard me right…in a container.
Well, I have been a recent convert to growing vegetables in containers, so I knew that I had to try these out.
They came in the mail a few weeks ago and I had wait very patiently (not!) until my local gardening calendar said that it was okay to plant them. The official date to begin planting corn on my zone 9a garden is March 1st. But, I decided that today (Feb. 23rd) was a good time to plant them, even though I was a week early.
Did I mention that I am a patient gardener?
I found the perfect container for my new container corn….a half whiskey barrel that I found at our local Home Depot.
The barrel still smelled like whiskey, which I think makes it just that much cooler. It didn’t have any holes, so I drilled some holes on the bottom.
Then my wonderful husband added the soil for me. I like to think that I am able to pour big bags of soil and I can, but not without a lot of ‘huffing and puffing’ followed by a bit of a backache the next day 😉
Now, it was time to add my precious new corn seeds…
Originally, I was going to place the container of corn plants next to my vegetable garden located in the side yard – but, I am already planning on growing ‘regular’ corn in that garden and you have to keep different types of corn separate from each other or they will cross-pollinate and the resulting corn will be different.
So, we placed the corn next to my smaller vegetable garden just off of the patio where it will get full sun.
The seeds should take 7 – 14 days to germinate and then I can harvest ears of corn in 63 days.
I can’t wait to see how they grow. If they turn out well, I may plant them again in August.
If you want to try this new type of corn – clink the link below:
Burpee’s On Deck Corn Hybrid
Too Many Shrubs at the Drive-Thru
ShrubsThe other evening, my husband and I got away for a few hours to go and see a movie. On our way, we stopped by for dinner at El Pollo Loco.
As we were leaving, I looked toward the drive-thru and saw numerous Valentine shrubs.
As you can see, the shrubs are planted very closely together, so they do not have room to grow to their natural size.
So, landscapers come in and prune away the attractive natural shape of these shrubs along with their colorful, winter flowers.
The problem with this area is over planting.
You can really see it on the other side of the drive-thru lane.
Often, landscape architects and designers add more plants then needed because when first planted, plants look scrawny and small. Not necessarily something their client wants to see. They want immediate impact from plants.
But, just 2 years later, you have unattractive green blobs because there just isn’t enough room for them to grow and they require frequent visits from the landscaper.
So, what can be done? Well, if I were managing this property – I would pull out every other shrub in order to allow the remaining shrubs more room to grow.
This not only will create a more attractive landscape, but one that requires less maintenance, thereby saving money.
Valentine shrubs need to be pruned once a year in May.
That’s it!
Prune them back to 1 – 2 ft. wide and tall and you are done for the year.
For more information on Valentine shrubs and why they are one of my favorite plants read:
“Flowers for Christmas and Valentine’s Day”
Gardening With Lily…
az plant lady family, UncategorizedOne of the joys of gardening, is sharing it with others.
I have shared it with my kids and am now starting with my first grandchild, Lily.
Last week, we made a Valentine’s Day present for her mom and dad.
We started with a trip to the nursery…
Valentine Day present
We bought two types of flowers for a fragrant container – Stock and Alyssum.
I already had the pot, the potting soil and slow-release fertilizer – so we were good to go.
Valentine Day present
When I had planned to do this with Lily – I had counted on my husband being there to take pictures of us. But, he had to leave at the last minute to take the dog to the vet (abscessed tooth – he’s okay now).
So, I had to take the photos myself, while making sure that Lily didn’t fall off the bench – hence the picture, above, of her sitting in my lap.
She seemed pretty steady on the picnic bench, so I let her sit by herself for a few seconds for this picture…
She did just great, but I did have to teach her not to pull the flowers off – I think that is first lesson that I have had to teach each of my kids.
When my daughter came over to pick her up later that day – Lily had a pretty container of flowers to give to her mom.
Lily is 15-months old and at a great age to start letting her accompanying me in the garden.
Next week, I think we will pull some carrots from the vegetable garden for her to take home.
My two oldest daughters, don’t have any special interest in gardening – although I did try my best.
My 15-year old daughter, Ruthie, loves the vegetable garden. I hope that she will continue to enjoy gardening as she grows up.
How about you? Do you like to garden with your kids or grandkids?
December Blooms – Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day
Picking Vegetables or Rocks?
az plant lady family, vegetablesToday was a beautiful winter’s day. The temperature was a little above normal for this time of year.
We spent time out in the garden today with our granddaughter, Lily.
I spent time harvesting leaf lettuce, radishes, carrots and cauliflower for our dinner salad.
I used our bounty to make a delicious salad for dinner.
The only thing from the grocery store in our salad was the cucumbers, which aren’t in season until summer.
As I was picking the vegetables earlier today, Lily was busy picking something entirely different…
Rocks!
She absolutely loves to pick up rocks.
Thankfully, she doesn’t like to eat them 😉
Not a Flower You Want To See…
AZ Plant LadyI went out in my garden today and saw these flowers growing.
While they are pretty, I was NOT happy to see them.
Why?
Maybe this next photo will give you a clue…
Can you tell why I’m not happy about these flowers yet?
Maybe this photo will tell you why…
It is my broccoli that is flowering.
The goal of growing broccoli in my vegetable garden is to eat it before it flowers.
Thankfully, there is plenty of broccoli that isn’t flowering yet.
I don’t claim to have the ‘perfect’ garden and I sometimes don’t get out there much as I’d like, but it really doesn’t bother me that some of my broccoli is flowering.
You know why?
Because I still have a refrigerator filled with fresh broccoli (that hasn’t flowered yet), some still in the garden and a little vase filled with pretty, little, yellow flowers 🙂
Look At What I Grew From Kitchen Scraps…
AZ Plant Lady, az plant lady family, azplantlady, DIY, Gardening With Kids, Houseplants, indoor gardening, Vegetable Gardeninghouseplants
Who knew that you could grow ‘houseplants’ using kitchen scraps?
I was inspired to find gardening projects that could be done indoors, for those gardeners who are stuck inside during cold winters.
The photos below were taken over a 14 day period from planting, to what they look like just 2 weeks later. I must admit that I am quite impressed.
I started with growing a radish…
I am hoping that my radish plant will flower at some point because I have heard that radish flowers are quite pretty.
My garlic cloves grew quickly and I will use the greens as a garnish, much like I would use green onions. Garlic greens have a mild garlic flavor.
My lentils are quite pretty and delicate looking. I am waiting for them to flower, which will make them even prettier.
I realize that many people have grown a vine from a sweet potato – but I hadn’t tried it. After it grows, the vine will be a pretty addition to my kitchen windowsill garden. Now that the roots are growing, I will hopefully see some green sprouting on top.
I did have one plant that didn’t come up. The book that I was inspired by said that you could plant fresh green beans, but mine didn’t grow.
**You can also plant dried beans after soaking them overnight and they should come up.
The goal of this project wasn’t to grow ‘food’, but to enjoy the foliage of the plants themselves and brighten up a dreary winter for those who live in cold climates.
I really had fun with this project. I think it would be a great activity to do with kids, don’t you?
Growing Indoor Plants Using Kitchen Scraps
vegetablesYou won’t believe what I have been working on…
I have been inspired by the book,
“Don’t Throw It, Grow It! 68 Windowsill Plants from Kitchen Scraps”
So, I decided to grow indoor plants using a radish, garlic, lentils, a sweet potato vine and green bean seeds.
The object isn’t to grow food itself, but to enjoy the pretty plants that these kitchen scraps will grow.
I’d love it if you would follow along on my Birds & Blooms blog “An Unorthodox Winter Gardening Project”.
I promise to keep you updated on how it is doing 🙂