1 – Cut out dead wood.
2 – Maintain shape.
3 – Remove weak, crossing canes and branches.
3.1- Lastly, if your plants do exactly what you want, leave them alone.
April is a time of hope and anticipation. Warm sunshine tempts you back to the garden while frosty nights remind you it is still early. Gardening is the BEST mental and physical exercise under the sun, or on a cool, gray day. It is all about being present. Once you are engaged much will happen. Sure, mistakes are made. Deal with them and move on — that is the best therapy advice in a nutshell for gardening and life.
Now is the time to prune certain plants. Start by using top-quality secateurs and clippers. They maintain a sharp edge longer for cleaner cuts and reduce fatigue. Prune these plants now:
Catmint: Shear to a four-inch mound. Like magic it will regrow, rapidly producing a panoply of deer resistant blue flowers. To dissuade deer spread clipping around garden beds. Not as good as bow hunters. Enough already, it is time for Rye to SERIOUSLY consider a limited deer hunt. Westchester County Bow Hunters Association has safely and successfully reduced deer herds. They are ready, will- ing, and able. Let’s stop the chit chat and move to action. Butterfly bush: Prune half of its total size. The more the bet- ter. It is shallow rooted. If left unpruned it will become top heavy and flop over.
Rose of Sharon: Simply indestructible. Cut with abandon. Caryopteris: Some gardeners recommend chopping to ground-level stub. I leave a mound of a foot plus. It will bounce back, delivering late summer blue blooms attractive to bees. If you do not have this shrub, get it. All are fast growers and deer resistant — Dark Knight and First Choice are good varieties.
Hydrangea arborescens and paniculata: Basically, the white flowering varieties. Prune half of the plant to a quarter inch above an outfacing bud. Remove all dead, spindly, or crossing branches to encourage good air- flow and healthy growth. Hydrangea Macrophylla and Quercifolia: Mophead and Oakleaf varieties bloom on old wood. ONLY cut winter die back to a quarter inch above a plump bud. Again, remove dead, dying, and spindly canes to stimulate new healthy growth. Feed with abandon.
Roses: These invariably get out of control, especially the popular Knockout series. Prune aggressively; they can take it. Focus on an open habit to reduce mildew. Remove all cut material and overwintered leaves to reduce infection. Finish by spraying the entire plant with Neem Oil.
Spirea: Except for Vanhoutte variety, reduce all others by a third. Then prune again after blooming to encourage a second flowering.
Sedum and other perennials: Cut overwintered dead stalks to grade. Also, this is a suitable time to lift, divide, and transplant to fill gaps in your garden.
Trees: Evergreens like juniper and yew should be pruned early in spring. Wait till leaves merge before pruning birch, maple, and butternut. Oak trees must be pruned in winter to avoid oak wilt, a lethal dis- ease spread by insects that appear in spring.
The above should get you back outdoors while waiting until the garden truly wakes up.
