Radio Show Recap
We’ve had a beautiful early March in Northeast Ohio and spring is right around the corner! This week, Angelo gives advice for pruning all different types of trees and shrubs that can be done in March, plus a list that can be tackled once new growth starts to emerge. He also talks indoor gardening tasks like seeding cold crops and repotting houseplants. PLUS, he answers caller questions like “Is this a good time to dethatch my lawn”, and “I need to prune my lilac, when is the best time to do that”?
Angelo’s Pruning Tips:
- Boxwoods, Yews, Junipers, and Hollies – It’s okay to cut these back up to 50% this time of year. Also prune to shape before spring growth starts.
- Panicle Hydrangeas – Don’t be afraid to cut these shrubs down hard to 8-10″, allowing for fresh, new wood and maintaining a nice shape. For the tree form, cut to the size of a 10-12″ basketball.
- Burning Bush – This is the only time of year to cut them back hard.
- Spirea – cut back into a little ball (8-10”), remove old wood inside the plant (sticks & peeling bark), Note: don’t touch the Bridal Veil variety until after blooming.
- Weigela – Cut down to a 10-12″ ball, remove old wood in center.
- Roses – leave 3-5 thick canes, remove all weak, thin branches
- Red Twig Dogwood – Cut down to the ground
- Ninebark – Cut down to the ground every year
- Clematis – Clean them up, remove old wood, wait for buds to show and thin out dead branches
- Barberry – Trim down to active buds
- Shade Trees – Can be trimmed to shape now
- Arborvitaes & Junipers – Take 2-3“ off all sides. Top them if needed but note, the pointed top will not come back. Try to get this trimming done by mid-April.
- Macrophylla Hydrangeas – Prune down to the uppermost growth. Clean out dead wood & thin out interior stems with a sliver coating
- Smooth Hydrangeas – Cut down to 6-8″. When 90% bloomed out, cut back and they will rebloom.
- Japanese Maples – Trim crossing and weak branches
- Ornamental Grasses – Cut down as low as possible. Clean out the debris with a rake
SHOP Products
- SHOP Bonide Orchard Spray or Fruit Tree and Plant Guard for fruit trees
- SHOP Holly-tone & Iron-tone to fertilize Evergreens
- SHOP Plant-tone & Iron-tone to fertilize Boxwoods & deciduous trees and shrubs
- SHOP Bulb-tone to fertilize emerging spring bulbs