Pruning Small Plants
After last weeks' letter on pruning, I assume the secateurs and sheers have been put to good use. This week as promised I'm talking about the pruning and clipping of small plants, whether herbaceous or partly woody (sub-shrubs). If you find the issue of tree and shrub pruning rather daunting, then cutting back perennials is far less problematical, if for no other reason, because the potential damage is far less serious. To lose a Chrysanthemum or two, is not very nice, but to damage an Olive tree is another matter. I'm sure you'll agree with me!
What happens when we just leave a plant like Lavender, or Sage for example? The plant tends to get leggy and bald. It's green and maybe flowering on top, but bare and dry below. A similar thing happens to many ground covers. One that comes to mind is a fabulous plant from Australia, ideally suited to a dry climate, - Myoporum parvifolium. If left alone, you tend to end up with long strands, and a bit of green at the edges.
Many superb flowering plants have actually fallen out of favour, which means they're becoming increasingly rare in plant nurseries, because they get uglier and uglier as time goes on. If only more people knew that they could prevent this, and maintain excellent plants for a number of years by the simple expedient of clipping!
A perfect example of this is the Ice Plant, Lampranthus sp. from South Africa. Anyone who has seen a carpet of Lampranthus in full flower, will know what a unique effect it creates. Furthermore, being a succulent, it can get through the summer without irrigation. So far so good. Except that the "carpet" looks worn out and bare for about 11 months of the year. So here's a tip. The plant flowers in the early spring. When about 75% of the flowers have been spent, don't wait for the remaining ones to die off, rather cut back to a visible growing point. Do not prune back a stem to the wood. The Ice Plant does not rejuvenate from the wood. By pruning, you encourage lateral vegetative growth, and this ensures that instead of being bald for most of the year, you get a nice, green ground cover, until next year's spring flowering. So take note that the timing is often the difference between an herbaceous plant that plays it's part in the garden, and one that should be pulled out!
You can follow this idea with many plants, and particularly with many herbs and spices, like Sage, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender and many others.
Till next week – fname- enjoy your garden
Jonathan Ya'akobi
Jonathan@dryclimategardening.com
What happens when we just leave a plant like Lavender, or Sage for example? The plant tends to get leggy and bald. It's green and maybe flowering on top, but bare and dry below. A similar thing happens to many ground covers. One that comes to mind is a fabulous plant from Australia, ideally suited to a dry climate, - Myoporum parvifolium. If left alone, you tend to end up with long strands, and a bit of green at the edges.
Many superb flowering plants have actually fallen out of favour, which means they're becoming increasingly rare in plant nurseries, because they get uglier and uglier as time goes on. If only more people knew that they could prevent this, and maintain excellent plants for a number of years by the simple expedient of clipping!
A perfect example of this is the Ice Plant, Lampranthus sp. from South Africa. Anyone who has seen a carpet of Lampranthus in full flower, will know what a unique effect it creates. Furthermore, being a succulent, it can get through the summer without irrigation. So far so good. Except that the "carpet" looks worn out and bare for about 11 months of the year. So here's a tip. The plant flowers in the early spring. When about 75% of the flowers have been spent, don't wait for the remaining ones to die off, rather cut back to a visible growing point. Do not prune back a stem to the wood. The Ice Plant does not rejuvenate from the wood. By pruning, you encourage lateral vegetative growth, and this ensures that instead of being bald for most of the year, you get a nice, green ground cover, until next year's spring flowering. So take note that the timing is often the difference between an herbaceous plant that plays it's part in the garden, and one that should be pulled out!
You can follow this idea with many plants, and particularly with many herbs and spices, like Sage, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender and many others.
Till next week – fname- enjoy your garden
Jonathan Ya'akobi
Jonathan@dryclimategardening.com
posted by Jonathan at 10:23 AM
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