Home Gardener's Pruning (UK Only). David Squire
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Название: Home Gardener's Pruning (UK Only)
Автор: David Squire
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Сад и Огород
Серия: Specialist Guide
isbn: 9781607652434
isbn:
Pruning many of the climbers that are regularly seen in gardens is described on pages 18–39.
Do not think of climbers as being solely for scaling boundaries and house walls; by constructing a free-standing trellis about 7 ft (2.1 m) high and positioning it 2½–3 ft (75–90 cm) from a boundary fence it is possible to create greater privacy.
Fruit
Apple
The range of fruit that can be grown in a garden is wide, from apples and pears to soft fruits such as raspberries. Grapes are another possibility. Although these fruits are grown in quite different ways – from bushes and trees to canes and as climbers – they all need regular and special pruning (see pages 62–77).
In many areas, birds soon destroy fruit buds, causing irreparable damage. Therefore, in such circumstances it is best to choose relatively low forms and to grow them in a wire cage that is 8–10 ft (2.4–3 m) high. Although initially expensive, this is the best, long-term solution to a bird problem. If the problem is neglected, both growth and flowering will be decimated by birds in a short space of time.
Hedges
Ligustrum ovalifolium
Many shrubs can be used to form hedges. These range from the ubiquitous but reliable Ligustrum ovalifolium (Privet), in both its all-green and yellow-leaved forms, to flowering types. Some hedges have a rural nature and are often formed of a medley of wayside plants, while others are more formal and perhaps produced from a stately conifer such as Taxus baccata (Yew). With all hedges, it is especially important to encourage them to have a leaf-clad base (see pages 40–43).
As well as creating privacy, hedges are especially beneficial in windy and exposed areas, where they help to reduce the damaging nature of strong, blustery winds.
Roses
Rose (Hybrid Tea)
Rose bushes, climbers and ramblers benefit from regular pruning to remain healthy and to produce a good display of flowers. Pruning roses is described in detail on pages 50–61, and this involves Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, rambler, climber, standard, pillar and shrub types. Each of these groups demands special pruning.
Most gardeners grow their bush roses primarily for garden display, but there is always an opportunity to cut a few blooms for room decoration. To avoid causing any long-term harm to bushes when cutting off some of their blooms for indoor display, do not cut off more than one-third of a flower’s stem. Always cut to just above an outward-facing bud.
Stooling
Cornus alba (Dogwood)
Stooling means cutting a shrub right down to encourage the development of new shoots from its base. Several shrubs can be stooled each year to produce colorful stems (see page 15). Stooling can also be used as an easy and inexpensive way of increasing plants. For example, young shoots produced by stooling can be used when grafting apples and pears. Also, you can cut down shrubs such as Dogwoods to within 3 in (7.5 cm) of the ground in late winter, and, when new shoots are about 8 in (20 cm) high, mound soil over them. In the following late winter, remove the soil and sever the new plants from the parent. Plant them into a nursery bed or a border.
PRUNING FOR EXHIBITION PURPOSES
Some shrubs – especially those that flower late in summer on shoots produced earlier in the same season – can be encouraged to develop extra large flowerheads. For example, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ has shoots normally pruned back by half, but if more severely pruned (by two-thirds) larger flowers are produced. Unfortunately, if this radical pruning is repeated for several years the life-span of the shrub is decreased.
Tackling neglected gardens
Overgrown gardens can usually be renovated, but this depends on the plants and length of neglect. Very old black currant bushes, for example, are best dug up and discarded. If the neglect has been for only a few years, however, renovation is possible (see opposite). Apple and pear trees that are past renovation can have their branches cut back and be crown grafted – but this is radical treatment and the tree will not bear fruits for several years.
Can I renovate my garden?
FRUIT VARIETY CHECK
Where you are taking over a garden which has been part of an old orchard, if possible check the names of the varieties before tearing them out. It may be that the variety is an old one renowned for its superbly flavored fruits. Many apples now grown commercially are selected for their productivity, travelling and ripening value, rather than their flavor, and it would be a great loss if a good variety was torn out. Contact a local orchard or a horticultural society and take along a few fruits for identification.
If the tree is worth keeping, prune it in winter.
A neglected garden may look fine at first, but plants may be smothering each other.
Throughout this book, advice is given about renovating specific plants, from shrubs and trees to climbers and hedges.
Fruit tree warnings
Before tearing out an apple or pear tree, check that it is not a major pollen provider for the remaining trees.
Apart from branch and twig congestion, you may have to contend with a tree riddled with pests and diseases. Be prepared for regular spraying.
DON’T DISTURB!
If you have a tree that is past renovation and is to be cut down, first check that birds are not nesting in it. In many countries, it is illegal to disturb a nest with eggs or young birds in it.
Ornamental trees
Because ornamental trees need little regular СКАЧАТЬ