It’s time to start pruning, a job which I like because if it’s done right, it can help plants tremendously.
It’s also a job that I hate because it can be physically challenging (forsythias because of the height, roses because of the thorns) but most especially because if it’s done wrong, you have to wait at least one and maybe two seasons for the plant to recover.
I started with the forsythias at Edgewater a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been working on the roses at Dixon for quite a while, and even though it’s early, think I’m about finished with them.
I trimmed the decoratives grasses at both houses some weeks ago. The big ones probably won’t start growing until May. The hibiscus also won’t be up until warmer weather.
I’ve been removing dead wood from the holly on the side and the bushes in the front: the little azaleas, which took an awful beating, and the inkberries, which fared quite well. They might need a heavier pruning, but not today because we had showers earlier and it’s still quite wet and raw.
Those plants are all pretty easy to figure out. Others are more difficult to judge, like the butterfly bushes. There seem to be different schools of thought on Montauk daisies. I may ask about those when I interview at Mahoney’s on Wednesday.
Hydrangeas are a conundrum as well, but I’m planning to meet someone at Highfield tomorrow to prune theirs, and hope to learn a trick or two for mine.