SPRING!

Well, it hasn't always felt like it, or seemed like it, but I'm told that spring officially began yesterday, Sunday March 20th, at 11:00 a.m. There is a bit of evidence, still limited, that it is coming if not really here. The surrounding mountains, these are the Missions seen from the top of Evaro Hill, are still heavily covered in snow if the valley floor is fairly clean. The weathermen promised more tonight.

Nevertheless, last week I found these in my friend Debbie's garden.

And east of Arlee, Mary's garden has her crocus in nearly full bloom.

Even her daffodils promise that later there will be more flowers. Look closely for the bud deep in the newly emerging daffodil foliage. (On the right edge of the larger clump.)

There is a white Hellebore flower trying to get through the mulch, the dead leaves and the cold tht might raise its head soon if we have a few more warm days.

Have a good spring.

Pruning

Now is the time for all good men and women to get out their pruning tools and come to the aid of their trees and shrubs. Some of them at least. If you have lots of shrubbery you may want to do only a few of them each year.

In western Montana the best time of the year to prune is early February and until you get the job done. Any earlier, even though the warmish week or so we often have in mid-January beckons us to come outside, can result in the loss of trees. It is better to wait until the likelihood of severe weather is less likely. Pruning stimulates trees to try and heal and the rising sap in a sub-zero spell can severely damage the conductive tissue.

Pruning has a few basic rules. First, make sure your pruners are sharp. Two, always cut back to the end of the branch. Don’t leave stubs! These entice numerous shoots to grow around and from them and soon you have your own little twig broom. Eventually this can lead to rot and the loss of large sections of the tree, or even the entire tree.

Then, pruning begins in earnest. Prune out branches that are growing straight up (called water sprouts) or across and through the tree. After that look for branches that are too close together and are rubbing, or that form a tight crotch that can collect debris and cause disease in the branch. This is frequently a judgment call so go with what looks or feels right. Remember it is always easiest to leave it and cut it off later than to hope it re-grows.
For large branches arborists use a technique involving three cuts. The first is made on the underside of the branch about 6-8 inches out from the trunk and ½ inch deep or so. This cut keeps the bark from peeling back into the trunk if the second cut doesn’t go smoothly. The second cut is made a foot or more beyond the first cut and simply removes the branch along with its weight so the stub is easier to handle. Then make the final cut about ¼ to ½ an inch beyond the collar of the branch. The collar is easily identified by the change in texture and series of folds where the branch leaves the main trunk. Make the final cut as vertical and smooth as possible. It can be evened off with a pruning knife, a wood rasp or even with the blade side of the pruners.

All of your pruning except perhaps the odd branch that escaped earlier should be finished by the end of August if possible. By then light levels are dropping, air temperatures are cooler and plants are preparing to go dormant. Pruning extensively in the fall can cause the plant to delay dormancy as it tries to heal the cuts. If we have an early hard freeze like the one in mid-October 2009 then the trees may not survive. Many had a difficult time coming through that winter even when they were healthy.

Don’t throw out the prunings. All the branches or evergreen leaves can now be composted. Large branches will compost faster if they are chipped first. Everything else just goes into the pile, and with time, moisture and air you have your very own homemade compost.

And there you have it. Pruning made simple. And it gets simpler with practice. If you make a mistake, don’t worry. It will grow back. Maybe even in the right place.

Next time I'll talk about shrubs and evergreens.