Horticulture Tips

Planting a Living Wall:

• Place plants of the same type in odd-numbered groups: 3 of this over here, 3 of that over there, for instance. Even-numbered groups suggest an attempt at symmetry that is out of keeping with the "loose border" look.
• Consider “staggering” the hedge. Unless your home is architecturally formal, a straight line of plants will look out of place.
• Use repetition to "tie in" areas of the hedge. If, for instance, you planted a group of 3 Euonymous in one portion of your hedge, repeat (with the same color Euonymous) somewhere else in that row.
• Don’t get too crazy with your array of shrubs. Stick to two or three varieties. Otherwise, it’ll get confusing and busy.
  
  You might also consider mixing in some deciduous tall flowering shrubs so the hedge doesn’t seem so dense. Again, this will create a less formal appearance and texture change. Viburnum carlesii  (Koreanspice viburnum) or Viburnum prunifolium (Blackhaw viburnum) are excellent, fragrant flowering shrub choices. They are dense and twiggy and still provide good coverage when the leaves are off. The Frederick House parking lot on New Street has a planting of Koreanspice viburnum along the wall.

Topless Trees: Indecent!

Early spring is a good time to prune many trees, but it is important to do this properly. Topping -- cutting off the crown of the tree-- not only makes a tree aesthetically ugly, it can lead to disease and early death. Ironically, this usually defeats the homeowner’s intended purpose. Many homeowners assume that if they top a large tree, it will compensate by producing a new, healthy, lower-growing crown. Not true. Removing the central trunk and the tops of main branches permanently destroys a tree's form and causes weak, unnatural growth.

Quite simply, topping severely weakens trees because it removes too many leaves. Without enough leaves to photosynthesize, the tree slowly starves to death.

When trees are topped, they develop bristling "water sprouts." To the untrained eye, this looks as though the tree is rejuvenating, but suckers don't develop into substantial limbs or produce enough leaves. They remain weak and spindly, and snap off easily in storms.

Protect your trees and your property by: 

• Educating yourself on a few proper tree pruning techniques.
• Hiring only competent, insured and certified tree care professionals. 
• Finding out if the individual or company carries professional certification, particularly through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). The ISA conducts extensive courses and certifies those who pass an industry-based exam.
• Scrutinizing the credentials and references of folks who do tree work.
• Avoiding hiring anyone who advocates tree topping or tells you tree topping is good for trees. Talk about false advertising! 
• You get what you pay for. Don’t be pressured by bargain tree work.