Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs (4029)

Michael Dana and Philip Carpenter

 

Memorize the words:

 

1) prune – обрезать

2) drastic – радикальный, интенсивный

3) vigorous – энергичный, сильный

4) adjacent – соседний, смежный

5) thinning – прореживание

6) fadedflower – увядший цветок

7) flowerbud – бутон

8) rejuvenate – омолаживать, восстанавливать

9) limb – ветка, сук

10) crotch – разветвление

11) shearing – стрижка, обрезка

12) espalier – шпалеры

13) shoot – побег, росток, веточка

 

Correct pruning is an essential maintenance practice for trees and shrubs in the home landscape. However, most homeowners regard pruning with considerable, though unnecessary, apprehension. Pruning is not difficult if you understand the basics, learn why, when, and how toprune.

Trees and shrubs should be examined annually for pruning requirements. Too often, pruning is ignored for several years. Then some trees and most shrubs become overgrown and often weak, making drastic pruning a necessity to bring the plant back to usefulness. Regular pruning will help keep the plant in bounds and keep its growth vigorous. To prune successfully, you must

1) know why you are pruning, 2) be correct in your timing,

3) follow proper techniques using proper tools: why, when, and how.

Reasons to prune

Pruning is necessary to maintain a healthy, vigorous tree or shrub. Specifically, pruning is practiced to:

Maintain or reduce plant size. Pruning can prevent a plant from overgrowing its space in the landscape and eliminates the need for drastic cutting of crowded, overgrown plants. It can allow for growth of plants under or adjacent to the pruned plant. It can also serve to reduce leaf area on newly planted trees and shrubs. This promotes survival through transplanting and consequentroot loss.

Remove undesirable growth. Pruning can encourage plant vigor through the removal of weak, overcrowded growth. Such thinning often improves the visual balance or symmetry of the plant.

Remove dead, diseased, or broken branches. Pruning will aid in maintaining the shape, vigor, and health of the plant.

Stimulate flowering and fruiting. Removal of the current year’s old, faded flowers and fruit clusters will promote flower buds for the following season.

Rejuvenate and restore old plants to vigorous growth. Proper pruning can restore a youthful, natural growth habit in certain overgrown shrubs.

Prevent damage to life and property. Pruning can minimize the hazard of limbs interfering with power lines or overgrowing structures. It can also remove weak crotches before limbs break in strong winds and open blocked sight lines caused by overhanging limbs atdriveways or street corners.

Shape plants in an artificial form. Pruning and shearing can be used to shape plants as hedges or for rigidly formal espaliers or topiaries.

Myths about pruning

There are a number of myths and misconceptions about pruning which should be laid to rest.

Pruning is difficult. Pruning is straightforward if one knows a little about how the plant grows and what it should look like when the process is complete.

Plants will die if pruned at the wrong time of year.

Plants may be injured, but seldom, if ever, are they killed by poorly timed pruning.

All pruning must be done during the winter. Actually, many plants are best pruned during the growing season.

Topping shade trees will keep the trees from causing damage to the home. Shoots which grow after topping are weaker than the original limbs. They will be more likely to split off and cause damage unless they are removed every few years. Also, wood rots are more likely to be a problem in topped trees, resulting in poorer tree health and greater likelihood of limb breakage.

Removing a tree is a crime against nature. If a plant is in the wrong place, from a functional or aesthetic viewpoint, it is by definition a weed and can be removed. This is especially true when a tree must be mutilated beyond recognition to eliminate the problem it is causing.

Most trees need pruning. Actually, mature trees seldom do. Young trees usually benefit because pruning helps in establishing the basic branch structure and in overcoming transplanting shock.

Hedge shears are all you need to prune shrubs.

Hedge shears are intended to prune hedges, only! Using them on shrubs not intended as hedge plants destroys the natural grace and beauty of the plants.

Anyone with a pickup truck and a chain saw is a qualified pruner. Indiana has no licensure for tree pruners, thus some individuals doing pruning work may not be knowledgeable or skilled in proper techniques.

Never hire someone who stops and tells you that your plants need pruning and that he will do it right away. Obtain references, and see their work first!All cut surfaces must be treated with tree paint.While long recommended, the evidence is conflicting onthe use of tree paint. Largely, its use should be thoughtof as cosmetic, helping to hide light-colored scars.

Tools for pruning

Proper pruning requires proper tools, employing correct methods, and applying the methods accurately to the appropriate plant. Tools should be of the highest quality you can afford, and they should be sharp. Keep them in good condition by lubricating regularly, cleaning to prevent rust, and only using them for their intended function.

 

Text 5

Garden Design (8640)

 

Memorize the words:

 

1) inspiration – вдохновение

2) sidewalk – тротуар (ам.)

3) driveway – подъезднаяаллея

4) fence – забор

5) curvedline – изогнутаялиния

6) straightline – прямаялиния

7) lighting system – системаосвещения

8) coarse – грубый

9) fine – тонкий, утончённый

10) boxwood – самшит

11) to draw attention – привлекатьвнимание

12) compatibility – совместимость

 

Garden design is the foundation of any great landscape. What does your dream garden look like? Make that dream a reality with garden design secrets, ideas, and inspiration for front yards and backyards. That includes color, foliage, and plant combinations, including the best red and yellow flowers to pair together, as well as tips for decor, landscaping, and curb appeal.

If you love a landscape filled with wildlife, such as birds and butterflies, you should learn ways to attract them to your garden, including building your own birdhouses or creating birdbaths.

The Elements of Good Garden Design

Rely on these artistic principles to take the mystery out of garden design, even if you are working with a professional.

Line

Line is one of the most important and useful of all design elements. Everything in the garden involves line. Think about the trunk of a tree, the distant horizon, the line created when a lawn ends and the adjacent woods begin. A sidewalk, driveway, or fence is a clear and readily accessible line in the landscape. As you plan and design your garden, always consider the line that is created by whatever you are adding.

There are four main ways to describe lines: curved, straight, horizontal, and vertical. None is more important than the others – each has different effects. Strong lines can draw your eye into the landscape, directing both where people look and where they go.

Curved lines shape informal garden beds and add interest to pathways. Straight lines evoke a sense of order and are more

formal.

Gardens can be themed, such as a healing garden.

Soothing horizontal lines create a sense of stability. Vertical lines project a sense of strength and movement.

No matter which types of line you use, be aware that lines lead the eye. Lines going away from you on the ground draw you forward. Horizontal lines on the ground slow you down. Vertical lines lead the eye up and out of the garden. Curving lines take the eye on an intriguing journey. All are desirable. It’s up to you to know where the lines will lead you or your eye and what you will see when you get there.

Light

What could be lovelier than early morning or evening in the garden, when plants virtually glow from warm backlighting? Who can deny that light gives plants life?

Light and shade change the way colors look and how they work together. Although you can’t control natural light, you can play up its effects. Bright light has the same impact as warm color – it advances visually, making an object or area feel closer than it really is.

Keep in mind that light can be either natural or artificial. It is easy to add a low-voltage lighting system to extend your garden enjoyment into the evening hours. Various fixtures and their positioning create different effects. Front lighting a dark area highlights a particular feature. Backlighting silhouettes a sculpture, tree, or shrub. Side lighting, which can also produce dramatic effects, is used mostly for safety along walks and paths.

Texture

Texture evokes emotional responses. Both tactile and visual textures invite you to touch. Use texture to contrast plants in groups or minimize architectural lines.

The characteristics of texture divide plants into three basic groups: coarse, medium, and fine. Coarse-textured plants, hardscaping materials, or garden structures have large or boldly tactile components. Fine-textured materials include many ferns and grasses or a delicate structure such as a bent-wire trellis or arbor. Medium textures fall in between.

Changes in texture can be subtle; the textures of various plants (and objects) are relative to one another. An ornamental grass, when viewed alone, may seem a fine-textured plant. However, when compared with zoysiagrass, which is much more finely textured, it may appear more coarse-textured.

Form

A landscape without strong, contrasting forms becomes as confusing as a melody without rhythm. The form and shape of plants and other objects in the garden work to divide space, enclose areas, and provide architectural interest. Grouping plants displays their shapes and creates various effects.

Round forms, such as boxwood or barberry shrubs, for instance, add definition and stability to a mixed border. A series of mounded forms creates an undulating rhythm.

Repeated, narrow verticals also add stability. Alone, a thin cactus looks awkward. Clustered, they appear well-placed.

The strong uprights of a fence add a sense of security and completeness.

Scale

Scale, or proportion, is the size relationship of one object to another. A 30-foot tree is out of place in the middle of a small patio, but a dwarf tree makes sense. Conversely, a massive house overpowers a narrow front walk lined with strips of flowers.

Consider the ultimate size of a tree before you plant it. The most beautiful tree in the world will look awkward and out of place if it towers over the front of a house. That same tree, if placed in the back yard, may provide a pleasing frame for the house.

Pattern

Pattern is the repetition of shapes in order. Pattern creates rhythm, as well as charm. It reinforces texture and contrast. When creating patterns, think of light and shadow as part of the palette. Use pattern to draw attention to an area; be careful not to overdo bold patterns, which can overwhelm. Also apply this principle when creating backgrounds. Lay a brick herringbone pattern in walkways, patios, entryways, and driveway borders to unify your hardscape, for example. Employ pattern as a way to direct people through the garden too.

Balance

Visual balance is achieved when the elements on each side of a real or imaginary axis are equal. If too much emphasis is placed on one side of the garden, your eye will be drawn more readily there and not to the garden as a whole.

There are two basic types of balance: symmetrical (formal) and asymmetrical (informal). When establishing balance, you need to determine a central reference point from which to draw an axis. It could be the front door, a tree in the backyard, or any other

object.

Symmetrical, or formal, balance is the easiest to see and understand: The elements on either side of a real or imaginary line are mirror images.

Formal balance doesn’t always suit a home or garden style. You may prefer informal, or asymmetrical, balance. For example, a large tree on the left can be balanced by three smaller ones on the right. Or a large mass of cool colors on one side can balance a small mass of hot colors on the other side.

Unity

Unity results when all of the basic garden design principles come together in a balanced, harmonious whole. Focusing on harmony will help as you choose from an exciting and sometimes bewildering array of plants and other landscaping materials.

Make simplicity a guidepost as well, and you likely will achieve a unified design that gives you a sense of completeness. Good structure in the overall design, combined with hardscape that meets your needs for service and enjoyment, creates the perfect setting into which you can place favorite plants – trees, shrubs, groundcovers, flowers, and seasonal containers.

Contrast

Contrast emphasizes the difference between a plant or an object and its surroundings. Using contrast is the best way to avoid predictability in a garden. It also adds a pleasing sense of tension between elements. Like most garden design principles, in moderation contrast is good, but too much can be confusing and unrelaxing to the eye.

You can create contrast by manipulating various elements such as form, texture, and color. Achieve a distinctive look by planting the contrasting forms of horizontal ‘Bar Harbor’ juniper in front of red-twigged dogwood, for instance.

You can contrast textures by varying hardscaping materials, such as bricks and gravel, or plant textures, such as a leathery leaved magnolia next to a finely needled cedar or juniper shrub.

Finally, the colors of flower blossoms can create wonderful contrasts. To be most effective, the hues should be widely separated on the color wheel. For example, red and green, purple and orange, and yellow and blue represent the highest contrast in color. You can also contrast variegated leaves with solid colors, or green and purple leaves.

Color

Color seduces the eye, evokes mood, and reflects the seasons. As a powerful and unifying tool, color has predictable effects. Cool blues, purples, and greens soothe and recede, whereas warm reds, oranges, and yellows enliven and advance.

Single-color schemes enchant with their simplicity. The real fun comes in expressing your personality by combining colors. Some colors compete for attention; others harmonize.

Although flowers are the jewels of the garden, too many different colors look chaotic. Remember that a balance of subtly different colors creates a pleasing effect.

Rhythm

Rhythm and repetition come about when you correctly position or contrast features. Rhythm avoids monotony.

Gardens that may be complete in almost every sense may seem ordinary until rhythm is introduced – for instance, a stately procession of shade trees along a drive or the repetition of pavers or the pickets in a fence. These elements create a clear sense of

movement.

Rhythm doesn’t necessarily require literal repetition. It may be achieved by the use of line.

Another example of rhythm is the gradual change along a planting bed of warm colors and coarse textures to cooler colors and finer textures, and then back to warm and coarse. As different plants come into bloom and then recede, to be replaced by others, there will still be a satisfying sense of visual rhythm.

Variety

Just as you choose your guests for a dinner party with concern for their interests and personalities, so can you combine a variety of plants for compatibility.

Accents and focal points serve to make a landscape more interesting. Use them sparingly, however, tomaximize their individual impact. Often, a single, interest element added to an otherwise drab scene can make all the difference.

Similar shapes and colors reinforce a theme. But certain focal points, by virtue of their interesting character, deserve major attention. These focal points should stand out from the rest of the garden. Occasional accents, such as an arbor, a sculpture, or a specimen plant, help create balance in a garden between the reference points and the background.

 

Text 6