When the trunk of a tree has reached the desired thickness, I evaluate the sacrifice branches to see if it makes more sense to remove them all at once or to remove them in stages. In many cases, removing large branches can cause vigorous new shoots to develop. This is especially true for species like […]
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Cutback and leaf pruning a dwarf wisteria
I’ve been learning this year that doing the same work at a slightly different time can make a big difference. I usually thin my dwarf wisteria, Millettia japonica ‘Microphylla,’ in May, but this year I pruned it in June. Dwarf wisteria before cutback As you can see, the foliage is dense – so much so […]
Leaf pruning Chinese wisteria
Last summer I took a conservative approach to pruning a Chinese wisteria. I shortened long runners down to five or six inches and leaf-pruned to four-to-six leaflets (see “Cutback on Chinese wisteria” for details). This year, I want to cut back to two or three buds per shoot and leaf prune to two leaflets. The […]
Starting the refinement process on a field-grown Japanese black pine
About two years ago, I picked up some field-grown pines from Lone Pine Gardens in Sebastopol, California. The next winter I repotted the trees into smaller containers and let them grow freely to encourage as much root growth as possible. This year the trees are healthy and ready to be worked on. The process is […]
Exposed root black pine: seven-year progression
Here is a look at the development of a semi-exposed root black pine over the past seven years. Very little wiring was done during this time, but the tree was decandled every year it was healthy enough to do so. The tree is sixteen years old. June, 2013 After cutback January, 2014 June, 2015 July, […]