Tips on Pruning for Your Gardening

A major factor required to have and maintain a beautiful and healthy garden is pruning. For an amateur, this process may not only be physically draining but could be quite tasking mentally. This is because a lot of mental planning and preparation is necessary for this process to be successfully carried out. 

The information which we will discuss in this article will help you prepare and plan for the maintenance and care of your garden so that it will give you years and years of beauty and function. Let us begin with the basics.

Pruning – Definition 

Pruning is a procedure where some plant parts like the buds, branches, and so on are selectively removed. This is done to serve both landscaping and horticultural purposes. You can find the definition here.

Reasons for Pruning 

Knowing how and when to prune your garden is very important. However, what is more important is understanding why this practice has to be done in the first place. This will give you a clearer vision of what you need to achieve. The reasons for pruning are several, however, here are some of the most important ones:

• It helps to maintain your plant’s health. During this process, you would cut off dying, damaged, diseased, or dead wood, and take off rubbing and crossing branches. This would ensure that the plant remains healthy. 
• It helps to control the size of the garden plants. 
• A well-pruned garden’s ornamental features like the fruits and flowers will be accentuated. 
• It would help you maintain the desired shape you want for the plant. 

Time to Prune 

If you prune your plants when the time is not right, you may get a highly undesirable outcome. Usually, the time to do this procedure is determined by some key factors, like the plant’s type, how much pruning is needed, and the desired result. 

If you want to simply remove dead, diseased, or damaged parts of the plant then the pruning can be carried out any time. 

Prune shrubs and trees either during the latter part of winter or very early in spring (March-April), that is, before new growth begins. 

If you have plants that flower during the last season’s wood-like rhododendrons, lilacs, and fruit trees, then you need to prune them in once blooming is over. This will help maximize the flooring of the next season. 

For better clarification, let us discuss the months in the year and what to prune at such times…

1. February to April

If you have some summer shrubs, then this is the best period to prune them. That is before the spring’s bud break. If you do not have some summer shrubs in your garden, then we only wonder why you can also prune your fruit trees and evergreens during this period. 

2. May to June 

This is the period to prune your spring shrubs such as azalea, rhododendrons, forsythia, Pieris (Andromeda), Spiraea, Lilac, and so on. 

3. June to July 

June to July is the perfect period for thinning most shade trees (deciduous trees) like linden, oaks, maples, birch, crap apple, spruces, plum, honey locust, willow, flowering cherry, and so on. Ensure you do the pruning before the new shoots become fully grown and turn woody. Prune the hedges to retain clean lines. 

4. August to December 

This period of the year is not such a great time for pruning. We would advise that you still just removing damaged or dead branches at this time. This is because; heavy pruning during this period can stimulate new growth. These new growths may then be unable to mature on time for the winter, causing them to be vulnerable to frost damages. 

Pruning Hydrangea 

Pruning Hydrangeas can be quite confusing because the guidelines for the various species common to Long Island are different. Visit https://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/best-hydrangeas/ and find out how to choose the best hydrangea for your garden. Below are some of the guidelines for specific species. 

• H.serrata and H.macrophylla: these species of hydrangeas are said to be summer bloomers, however, they behave like spring shrubs and set flower buds in the previous year. So, you would need to: 

1. Your pruning during early spring should be reduced to just thinning practices and removing deadwood. Reducing the height is completely unadvisable during this period because you would be cutting the season’s flower buds off. 

2. Pruning to control the plant’s size should be done in mid or late July. At this period, the bloom should have started drying. You will have to sacrifice the beautiful effect of dried flowers if you do this, but this is how to control these species’ size. Ensure you do not wait until August as this would be too late. 

• H.petiolaris and H.quercifolia: To control shape and size, prune after flowering. 
• H.paniculata and H.arborescens: these react well to both light and hard pruning. 

Pruning Hedges 

Follow these special notes when you prune your hedges:

• Allow your hedges to get a bit bigger than you trimmed the previous time. Trimming them to the previous spot each trim time will shorten or weaken each plant’s longevity. 
• With hedges, shapes are very important, the base or bottom always have to be wide or even wider than its top. This way, sunlight will be allowed to get to all the leaves, it will also prevent ice buildup or snow damage. 

Methods of Pruning 

The following are the various methods of pruning:

1. Thinning 

This is used to reduce live branches density. And for your information, Japanese knives can be used for this method since you are working on garden shrubs. This method is done so that sunlight and air can get into the plant’s inner parts.

2. Cleaning 

This involves just removing diseased, dead, and broken stems and branches. This method is best for established or mature plants. 

3. Reducing 

This is used to decrease either the width or height of plants. The essence of this method is to make the plant tidier and more attractive. However, this method is not so great for some shrubs and plants, so always consider the health and species of your plants before you do this. 

Conclusion

The pruning tips discussed in this article will help you maintain the function and beauty of your garden.

Few Things You Should Know About Sliding Patio Doors

A patio door is a large opening made of glass used as an opening from the house in place of the traditional swinging ones. 

Every time an individual moves into a new home, making it more comfortable is always their top priority. One of the aspects one should consider is having a sliding patio door and window. 

While many may think of it as an intense and tiresome process, in the long run, the benefits that come with having them outdo the cost that was be incurred initially. They present individuals with several benefits, as explained in this article. 

Accessibility and durability

Using a sliding door makes it easy for one to open or close by eliminating the need to push or pull. Its use becomes more realistic when carrying groceries into the house or exiting the house with bags. 

They also last longer since they are strong, and their way of use does not allow individuals to easily cause damage to them, unlike the standard ones that are always prone to banging. 

They can be up to twice the size of standard doors. In this case, it becomes much easier to move items inside and outside the house. They allow easy movement of large-sized items such as tables and chairs. 

When holding parties, whether inside or outside the house, it is easier for people to use them without creating unnecessary traffic. Two people can use the door at ago even if they are headed in different directions. 

Natural lighting 

The fact that they are made of glass means that they are transparent hence they allow sunlight in. Natural light will help save on electricity that may be otherwise used to light up dull rooms even during the day. Better even, it provides unique scenery during nights when there is moonlight. 

More space 

When using them, no space is used up in opening and closing. Hence, one can place furniture next to the door without necessarily affecting entry and exit into and from the house. 

Better even the space can be efficiently utilized by placing other items such as flower pots to create some beautiful appeal when entering and leaving the house. 

Generally, having them also gives the house a spacious look through optical illusion similar to mirrors. See this link to learn how you can install some into your property https://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how-to-install-a-sliding-patio-door-ronhazelton.com 

Outside view

Since they are made of glass, one can have a nice view of the outside while on the inside. In addition, it presents exciting experiences such as watching kids playing outside. 

Better even, during events such as open-air luncheons, an individual can just sit and observe what is happening outside without necessarily having to go out or interrupt what is going on. 

Individuals can also opt to observe their gardens from the house, which helps them note aspects they would not otherwise notice when doing rounds in the garden. 

Energy saving 

It is amazing how glass can regulate internal temperatures. For example, by using a glass door, winters will be warmer, making it unnecessary to use up electrical energy to keep the rooms warm. 

On the other hand, during summers, temperatures will be reduced, doing away with the need to use up electricity to bring down the temperatures in the house. This is mainly the case where the glass runs from the ceiling to the floor. 

Another advantage of temperature regulation is that it keeps away foreign materials such as debris or raindrops. 

Free flow of air

It is common to have homes stuffy due to lack of proper ventilation. It is also common to have some pollutants like smoke and cooking odors in a house in the event that the food gets burnt, all of which need to be eliminated. 

To get rid of these, sliding it open allows huge amounts of air to stream in, causing the house to have plenty of fresh air. 

In cases where the inside gets too hot, individuals can also opt to have them open instead of using an AC that is expensive to use.

Streamlined

Different from the traditional entrances, these use minimal space when opening or closing. It ensures that in instances where curtains need to be installed, they will never be a bother when one needs to use the door. 

They also do away with the cramped feeling of having traditional doors thus making the place look elegant. Click here to see how you can replace your patio door.

Conclusion

Sliding glass doors are the best way to make homes look amazing. However, they may not be suitable where so many individuals living in different houses share the same compound since they allow individuals outside to have more details of what is going on inside the house, especially where there are no curtains. As such, they minimize the amount of privacy an individual has, making them best suited for situations where only one family is using up a compound.