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Care and Maintenance of
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs
Regular pruning and watering—along with seasonal fertilizing and attention to pest control—are key for proper care of shrubs and trees.
Pruning to Control Growth
Your love of the outdoors and of all things that grow will undoubtedly increase as you care for your garden. Each season brings something new to see, and you’ll come appreciate the distinctive traits of each plant.
Pruning young plants helps direct their growth. Later pruning and cutting back of older plants promotes flowering and fruiting. It also gives plants a more pleasing shape and keeps them disease- and pest-free in top health.
For pruning discussions and demonstrations, follow the links provided. They’ll take you the basics of when and how to prune deciduous trees and shrubs as well as needle-leaved and broad-leaved evergreens.
There are also step-by-step demonstrations to follow. They show the processes of:
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- Rejuvenating older shrubs,
- Pruning to shape conifers,
- Restoring mature trees to health by improving air circulation and letting in more light, and
- Special pruning techniques, such as pollarding.
Irrigation, Pests and Diseases
Then, there’s irrigation. What would you like to know? We show:
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- How to water newly planted as well as established trees and shrubs,
- How to install an automatic irrigation system,
- When to fertilize your plants,
- When to apply mulch, and
- How to provide special care needed by container plants.
Plants that are well adapted to your site and soil, that are pruned, watered, and fertilized properly at regular intervals, will naturally grow strong, healthy, and able to resist most pests or diseases.
Still, a basic understanding of pests and diseases is helpful to keep plants thriving. Recognizing them is the first step.
When pests or diseases do appear, prompt care quickly returns most trees and shrubs to robust health. Get a leg up by consulting GrownByYou’s section of troublesome conditions in landscape plants with a helpful chart of symptoms and cures [See: Tree and Shrub Pests and Diseases]. It helps you identify and take necessary steps to return your trees and shrubs back to full health.
Finally, if you garden in a region with cold or severe winters, follow our suggestions on autumn care for winter dormancy, including demonstrations on how to protect grafted roses and other tender shrubs from damage due to winter freezing.
Getting Started on Tree and Shrub Care
Everyone wants to enjoy the beauty of their landscaped yard, not spend time and effort maintaining it.
We’re happy to note that most trees and shrubs that are well-adapted to your site and climate require only minimal care.
Seasonal care takes place occasionally, all through the growing season. By contrast, annual care happens when trees and shrubs become dormant with the approach of winter.
Finally, first aid is sometimes necessary, when a storm breaks foliage, disease kills a branch, or pests infest your yard.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Pruning Trees and Shrubs
Beginning gardeners have the most concern and often ask worried questions about how to properly prune their trees and shrubs. Relax. Most pruning is simple and well within the capabilities of home gardeners [See: Pruning Trees and Shrubs].
We’ll discuss and demonstrate how to perform all the different types of pruning commonly used by gardeners to care for their trees and shrubs.
Learn about these and other options by exploring these links:
Watering Trees and Shrubs
Established trees require extra water only in long dry spells or sustained periods of drought. Shrubs grow best if watered regularly on long intervals, about once a week. We discuss these different needs and how to provide water properly, along with demonstrations [See: Watering Trees and Shrubs].
Irrigation of trees and shrubs is always easier and more carefree when the yard is served by an automatic watering system on a timed controller.
Container plants need regular replacement of water lost to evaporation and warmth, but even in-ground plantings should receive regular water when natural precipitation is scarce or spotty.
Learn more about these and other major options by exploring these links:
Fertilizing and Other Care of Trees and Shrubs
Depending on each species’ needs, fertilizing landscape plantings typically takes place quarterly, once in spring and again in autumn, or just once annually [See Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs].
There are other simple needs trees and shrubs require, however, and we’ll demonstrate them for you.
Fertilizing, applying mulch, meeting the special needs of container plantings of trees and shrubs, and protecting your plants from severe winter weather are occasional garden tasks your plantings need. Whether you perform them personally or hire professionals, understanding them is important to keeping your landscape healthy.
Learn more about these needs by exploring these links:
> Next: Pruning Trees and Shrubs