Pruning basics cont'd.

1011 N. Woodlawn

Kirkwood, Missouri

63122

314-965-3070

MailSCG@aol.com

2.  Encourage lush, new growth
Cutting plants back when old growth has become tatty can promote lush new growth from the base of the plant.  This new growth contributes to the overall appearance of the garden, refreshing it and holding that spot in the overall design.  Remember:  foliage form, texture, and color contribute to the garden effect for a much longer period than do flowers.

3.  Regenerate or extend the life of plants

Pruning is not simply cosmetic.  It may help satisfy the neat-nik impulses in some of us, but pruning can also increase the vigor and life expectancy of the plants, as well as improve their resistance to disease and harsh weather conditions.  This is particularly true with woody perennials.

Some perennials can flower themselves to exhaustion and are then unable to form buds for the following year.  To prevent this from occurring, the whole plant should be cut back to stimulate vegetative growth.  New growth produced from cutting back a plant early in the season is more vigorous and less stressed than the old dying foliage and is less likely to succumb to disease and weather damage.

4.  Stagger plant heights or bloom times

For perennials growing in large groups, you can encourage the plants to mature to differing heights or to bloom at slightly different times by pinching or cutting back.  This creates interesting gradations and extends the bloom time of a planting.  You can delay flowering on a few stems of an individual plant to provide a longer bloom period at the expense of abundance.

5.  Reduce plant height

Reducing plant height, and eliminating the need for staking, is an important pruning principle.  The little bit of time it takes you to cut back or pinch perennials before they flower, creating more compact plants, will save you the headache and time of having to stake plants later.

6.  Keep plants in own space

Many people like lush, full gardens, with as little ground or mulch showing as possible.  Such an approach requires some plant management to keep everyone in their own space.  Sometimes this will mean the removal of one or several branches at the base of the plant, or a few panicles off the top.

7.  Increase flower size or numbers

Pruning a plant will often cause it to produce more, but sometimes smaller, flowers than it might normally produce without pruning.  Removing the side buds of a plant will produce one large flower on a long stem.  For certain plants, the thinning of stems can produce larger flowers than those on unthinned plants.

8.  Enhance the overall appearance of the plant

Cutting a plant back before it flowers not only creates a more compact plant, but also can help shape the plant's habit.  By cutting outer stems lower than inner stems, you can created a more mounded plant and reduce unsightly legginess.  Normally two branches will grow from each pinched stem, but sometimes more are produced.

The bottom line is -- don't be afraid to experiment.  Perennials are very forgiving plants that will benefit from the extra attention.