ASHLAND — Art of Gardening member Kathy Varner introduced her next-door neighbor, Todd Bowman, to talk on the topic of Pruning at a meeting held at Peace Lutheran Church March 4.
The owner of Stonehenge Landscaping is a 1992 Ohio State ATI graduate and has been in business since 2010, starting in Wooster.
He spoke of plants that benefit from a center-cut design (removing excess branches in the middle) which makes more room for air and light. The center-cut is preferable for fruit trees.
“Know your plant,” Bowman urged. He recommended pruning no more than 1/3 of growth at a time in a growing season so that the plant doesn’t undergo stress.
Spring is a good time to prune but immediately after they finish flowering in Spring is a better time for lilac, forsythia and viburnum. Fall or winter is a good time to prune maple trees. Bowman advised fall pruning for both roses and climbing roses.
For lilac pruning cut as close to the ground as possible; the lilacs will grow better. For trees or shrubs, he suggested cutting close to the bud at a 45-degree angle, so water doesn’t runoff.
“Where there is too much shade, tackle lower branches to give sunlight a chance to keep your lawn happy,” Bowman said.
“Shearing may be the fastest way of pruning a shrub but not the best way to prune,” Bowman advised.
He favors renovation (rejuvenation) pruning for lilacs, spiraea and forsythia. Coppice pruning (eliminating top growth of a tree) should be done before growth comes out. The dogwood tree qualifies for coppice growth.
“It’s best to hand prune holly and boxwood; they don’t respond to harsh pruning,” he said.
Bowman favors hand-pruning.
Bowman concentrated on hydrangeas, claiming that they are confusing when it comes to why they may not bloom. There are huge and small Old and New Wood Bloomer varieties.
“The old flowering varieties really don’t need any pruning,” he added. One of the New Wood varieties is “Limelight”. With “Endless Summer” you can’t go wrong, he concluded.
Kim Tanner, member, oversees the club’s fundraiser, a plant sale, May 9 at Peace Lutheran Church. New member Wendy Schmidt offered to be responsible for flyers as a way to get the word out.
The “Yard of the Month” summer program starts in June, and Sally Ahlers will head up that project. She emphasized that selecting a winner is based on the Spring Cleanup’s four quadrants starting in the SW area this year.
Pat Edwards, president, reminded members of the dues of which $5 goes to Garden Clubs of Ohio. Rosemary Caster, treasurer, will collect the dues.
She will also collect carrot, cabbage, green bean, onion, tomato, pepper, cosmos and zinnia seeds to go to Rwanda. Seeds fare well there.
Kingwood Center is now open, according to Edwards. “There isn’t a season that isn’t nice!” she said.
Cherie Britton, member, is due to give a program April 1 on “Fun with Chocolate.”