It is "Pruning Time"

BY Pamela Nobles

Glancing around the outdoors where many of my plants have remained during the cold winter season lets me know that it is now time for pruning. When temperatures begin to plummet below freezing for an extended period of time, even the covering with freeze cloths doesn’t always help when the fierce winds blow. Even so, it can become a good thing, depending upon how you look at the situation.
Pruning your various plants will vary in scope. It’s a way of removing the old to bring on the new. Plants will bear much fruit when this technique is applied to bring forth new stems and buds which will make them spectacular in the spring. The simplicity of pruning plants is the same for "in ground" plants as it is for "in container" plants. Pruning maintains the health of plants, production of flowers or fruit, growth direction and undesirable growth removal.
Let me give you several situations I have faced which might help you. For instance several pots of the Asparagus sprengeri ferns had many new fronds* that were coming out every where, due to the warm weather. Knowing the type of fern made it easy for me to prune, due to its invasive growth. In fact I’ve decided to cut them all back, with a two-fold reasoning; easier to divide, and production multiplies to share.
Having worked with several Crepe myrtles, it’s amazing to me how resilient these shrubs can be. However, they too need pruning. They will bloom on new wood, so prune them late winter or early spring to increase next summer’s flower production. Remove side branches on trunks up to 4-5 ft. and inner branches reveal attractive trunks. After doing some research on pruning the crepe myrtles I was shocked (to say the least) at the following statement after I had already committed this crime! It reads as follows:
Don’t Commit "Crepe Murder"
Don’t chop your large crepe myrtles down to ugly stubs each spring just because your neighbors do.
This ruins the natural form and encourages the growth of spindly, whip like branches that are too weak to hold up the flowers.
To reduce a crepe myrtle use hand pruners or loppers to shorten the topmost branches by 2-3ft. in late winter, always cutting back to a side branch or bud. For branches more than 2 in. thick, always cut back to the trunk. Don’t leave big ugly stubs.
Till next time, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, Pamela
*See Spectacular Ferns Pt. II, October 23, 2008 at www.jacksoncountytimes.net