Notes for next year

Just had a nice weekend visit with Dick and Barb K. They had some amazing yellow cherry tomatoes that I think maybe we should try next year:  Sun Sugar.

When to prune or trim in Zone 5b or 6

http://www.midwestgardentips.com/garden_calendars.html

FALL:

Columbine
Remove any foliage showing leaf miner damage and remove any debris around the base of the plants. Aquilegia send out growth early in spring and appreciate not having the old foliage to contend with.

Peony
Peonies need a period of cold to set buds for the following season. That coupled with the fact that their foliage is extremely prone to mildew is reason enough to remove the foliage in the fall. Infected foliage can be removed and disposed of in late summer. Healthy foliage will turn golden in fall and can be removed once it has turned to mush, after the first frost.

Iris

Catmint

WINTER:

Deciduous Trees (Oaks, Aspen) - late winter

Evergreen Trees (Juniper, Pinon, Cedar) - winter
Avoid heavy pruning in the spring while a plant’s leaves are expanding. If a little light pruning is necessary at this time, go ahead and prune away, but this isn’t the time for drastic pruning.
Dead limbs and branches may be pruned off at any time. If you’re unsure whether or not a branch is truly dead, scratch the bark with a fingernail. A living branch will appear green beneath the bark.

Arborvitae - Prune anytime from late summer through late winter

Juniper - Prune late fall through late winter, while dormant

SPRING:

Roses - When the forsythia blooms (but I don't HAVE any forsythia!!!)

Wait until they have begun to actively grow. If the leaf buds/nodes have not begun to fatten up and grow it's a little early yet. If they are already starting to grow then go ahead and prune them. Start at the top of each cane and cut off about 2 inches. Look at the center of the cane. Is it white/green or tan/brown? White/green is live cane. Tan /brown is dead wood. Keep cutting down about 2 inches at a time just above an outward facing leaf bud until you get to cane that has a clear, clean white/green center.

Chrysanthemums
Leave the foliage intact to protect the plant’s crown.

Honeysuckle

Prune in early spring while dormant

Artemisia (sagebrush, fluffy light green stuff)

Lavender Cotton
Don’t prune at all after mid-August and wait until new growth appears in the spring before pruning.

Lilacs

• Late spring to early summer, after blooming.  Wait for the flowers to die off. Use hand pruners to clip away the dried blooms just above the last set of leaves below the flower
• Look over the bush for old limbs that appear brittle or don't have leaves or flowers on them. Clip off these branches using your hand pruners, or garden loppers if the branch is thick, as far down as you can reach, cutting the branch at ground level if possible.
• Cut back misshapen branches or smaller limbs that rub against a stronger limb where they originate or branch off from a larger branch.
• Thin weaker branches of the lilac bush at ground level to leave behind at least three to five strong stalks on the bush to keep it healthy. These branches are already working on next year's flowers.
• Maintain your lilac by deadheading the spent flowers each year, but allow three to five years to pass before pruning again. With each pruning after the initial pruning, try to remove a third of the plant, starting with the oldest stalks.

Lavender

• Don't cut plants like lavender to the ground, and don't touch them in fall or winter
• Lavender plants should be pruned once per year, preferably in the spring, just before new growth starts. Use hedge trimmers or pruning shears, if possible, to keep things nice and tidy. Prune back about 1/3 of the new growth each time, shaping the lavender bush into a nice mound shape. Pruning lavender any more than 1/3 off the top may cause it to wither and die, so use caution. It’s better to prune too little than to prune too much. Do not cut all of the new growth down to the stems, as lavender may not survive this type of heavy pruning.
• Pruning Old Lavender Plants: Pruning lavender plants that are beyond three years old, or of an indeterminate age, and have never been pruned before is a little trickier. Older lavender plants will not survive heavy pruning, especially if there is more woody growth than new, green growth. If there is new growth visible above the woody stalks, begin by pruning back as much of as possible above the woody areas, without actually cutting into them. This is best performed in the summer time, and only once per year. This technique for pruning lavender will encourage new growth along the entire stem, and may eventually result in a plant that can be reshaped.