Pruning plant by plant

482 Pages·2012·77.592 MB·English

by  Mikolajski, Andrew

PRUNING
PL ANT
PL ANT
BY
Andrew Mikolajski
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, DELHI
DK London
Project Editor Becky Shackleton Project Art Editor Rebecca Tennant
Senior Editor Helen Fewster Senior Art Editor Joanne Doran
Managing Editor Penny Warren Managing Art Editor Alison Donovan
Illustrations Debbie Maizels, Peter Bull Art Studio, Martine Collings
Jacket Designer Mark Cavanagh Database Manager David Roberts
DK Images Claire Bowers, Lucy Claxton, Claire Cordier
Senior Production Editor Jennifer Murray Senior Production Controller Jen Lockwood
Publisher Mary Ling Art Director Peter Luff
DK Inc
North American Consultant Lori Spencer Editor Kate Johnsen
Senior Editor Rebecca Warren
DK India
Senior Editor Nidhilekha Mathur Editors Janashree Singha, Manasvi Vohra
Assistant Art Editor Pooja Verma Picture researcher Nivisha Sinha
Senior DTP Designer Tarun Sharma CTS Manager Sunil Sharma
Senior Managing Editor Glenda Fernandes Managing Art Editor Navidita Thapa
First American Edition, 2012
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
13 14 15 16 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001—181299–Aug/2012
Copyright © 2012 Dorling Kindersley Limited
Text copyright © 2012 Royal Horticultural Society
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright
owner and the above publisher of this book.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited
in association with the Royal Horticultural Society
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978 0 7566 9272 8
DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales
promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:
DK Publishing Special Markets, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
or [email protected].
Printed and bound by South China Printing Company, China
Discover more at
www.dk.com
Contents
Using the guide 4
INTRODUCTION
What is pruning? 6 Pruning for special effects 28
Reasons to prune 8 ◾ Coppicing 28
When to prune 14 ◾ Pollarding 29
Tools and tool care 16 ◾ Training climbers 30
Where to start 18 ◾ Creating standards 30
Formative pruning 22 ◾ Simple topiary 32
Renovation 26 ◾ Hedges 32
PRUNING A–Z: ORNAMENTAL PLANTS 34
PRUNING FRUIT TREES AND SOFT FRUIT 424
Why fruit is different 426 ◾ Citrus fruit 454
Common fruit forms 428 ◾ Olives 456
Basic techniques 431 ◾ Summer-fruiting raspberries 458
Training fruit on wires 434 ◾ Fall-fruiting raspberries 460
◾ Apples 438 ◾ Blackberries and hybrid
◾ Pears 440 berries 462
◾ Plums 442 ◾ Black currants 464
◾ Sweet cherries 444 ◾ Red and white currants 466
◾ Tart cherries 446 ◾ Gooseberries 468
◾ Peaches and nectarines 448 ◾ Blueberries 470
◾ Apricots 450 ◾ Grapevines 472
◾ Figs 452 Index and acknowledgments 476
4
Using the guide
This guide provides illustrated advice on pruning over 200
of the most popular garden plants and fruit crops. Ornamental
plants are listed in alphabetical order by botanical name, with
tree fruit and soft fruit described in a separate section.
A–Z headings identify Cuts on tall trees
the plant type or habit, may need the help
and its pruning needs of a tree surgeon
274 MAGNOLIA: EVERGR
ME▪V EaRGgREnENo TRlEiEaS Magnolia Fsthcloeaw tpteelarrnes tda roev er Sdahmoratgeend f grorostwetd
Prune in summer, as required, and also in winter
Evergreen magnolias are quite distinct from deciduous
types because they grow faster and flower later in
the year. The flowers never appear in profusion but
Text describes amried csuarmrimede ri nintetorm failtlt.e Lnatltye -osvweer lali nlogn bgu pdesr oioftde fnr osmuc cumb
the suitable to frost and fail to open; remove them promptly, or they
techniques wduilrli nrogt w oinn tthere. pElvaenrtg.r Ceeunt bmaacgkn aonlyia ost ahreer afrlsoos tmedu cghro wth
and timings more tolerant of pruning than deciduous types and
Magnolia are eminently suitable for wall training. New stems
g‘Frearnrduigflionreaa ’ whoilrli zsohnotoatl ubpewfoarred twheit hgr gorweatht vthigicokre, nsos apnudll hthaerdme ns.
In summer, shorten any wayward branches, especially if they are
shading flower buds. Pruning is best done with long-handled
loppers or—for thicker branches—a saw.
Plant profile
includes key PLANT PROFILE
information NdoAwTnUy RyoAuLn Hg AstBemITs Vraigpoidrolyu lso tsree eflse xwibhiolistye. ◾P RTrUeNesI NcaGn bNeO aTlloEwS ed to develop with
about habit, HARDINESS Mainly hardy, but best with minimal pruning.
shelter in very cold areas. ◾ As wall shrubs, prune to keep growth
hanardd sinizeess, H(in6 EmwI aGxr 3HmmT c) l AiwmNhaeDtere sS )g,P lreRoswEs Anif Daws a 2al0l ttfrrtea xei n 1(em0dfot. re, ◾cbla oFdsoleyr tdpoel atchcideedu w osautelsl,m mcusa.tgtinnogl ioaus ts eoeld pepr .a2n7d2 – 273. AIM OF PRUNING MAKING THE CUTS
Pruning notes Annotated artworks
provide a quick- Cross references illustrate the aim
reference summary are given to related plants of pruning for
of pruning advice with different pruning needs established plants
USING THE GUIDE 5
Artworks show how
Popular fruit crops to prune for the most
appear under their productive plants, with
common names advice on wire-training
where appropriate
464 BLACK CURRANTS 465
Black currants
Ribes nigrum Well-spaced
▪ branches with
Prune in mid- to late winter an open shape
Aronu enxdc, edlulelnl bt lsaocukr cfreu oitf wviittahm ai nve Cr,y b tlaarctk fl cauvrorra. nTthse a prela nts Rhloainpngeg csf lrduuositwte nrs in Cothfu aott l odhueatrv aes tpferrmuoipst eo drtion
are neat-growing, twiggy, deciduous shrubs that benefit
from annual pruning. They like fertile soil but are tough
plants and will tolerate a range of conditions.
Plant new plants slightly deeper than they were in
the pot to encourage a multi-stemmed form, and cut
EEN 275 aGlrlo swtetmh sp rdoodwunc etdo iwni tthhien fi 4risnt y(1e0acr mw)i lol fn tohte f rbuaist.e T. he
following winter, remove straggly stems and others
dh or as necessary to create an open-centered bush—the
unpruned stems will flower and fruit the following year. From
fflRroeowmsteo-rdv baemu dasgtferhdue inte odn s, tienm msi.d O- ltdo blautseh wesi nctaenr, bree mreonvoev uapte tdo boyn hea-trhdi rpdr uonf itnhge,
but this will be at the expense of the following year’s fruit.
FRUIT PROFILE
FLOWERING TIME Mid-spring. FORMATIVE PRUNING Cut
HHAARRVDEINSTE SWSh Feunll yri phea,r diny .summer. boopnac epknl aa-cnlle tsinntetgem.r ePsdr tu obn uae s lthoo.w c rferaamtee awno rk Rtweimggoyv eg raonwy th
HEIGHT AND SPREAD Plants grow ESTABLISHED PRUNING Cut out that will not fruit
to around 4ft x 5ft (1.2m x 1.5m). some of the older stems annually.
AIM OF PRUNING MAKING THE CUTS
Pwrauynwea ordu t Fruit profile details Stripped down
shoots flowering and harvesting branches show
times, and advice on exactly where
establishing young crops to cut
6
What is pruning?
Many gardeners approach pruning—the regular cutting and trimming
of plants—with trepidation if not downright fear. But in essence,
it is no more than a means of keeping woody plants—trees, shrubs,
and climbers—healthy and productive so they give the best possible
performance throughout their lives.
BENEFITS OF PRUNING this, encouraging them to push out new
Pruning should always be a positive act. stems that are always more productive
Essentially it is a matter of encouraging and disease-resistant than the old.
plants to do what you want them to. Routinely cutting out dead or damaged
Pruning young plants in the early years material, which may itself harbor disease,
establishes good habits, and once they keeps them healthy. You can even restore
are mature, pruning refreshes them, vigor to old, neglected plants—pruning
encouraging vigorous new growth. can give them a new lease on life.
Alhough it’s possible to reduce the size
of a plant and restrict its spread, this is TIMING
seldom the principal goal of pruning. Successful pruning is a matter of removing
We grow plants for particular reasons: the correct amount of material at the
usually for their flowers or berries—or appropriate point in the year. While some
occasionally both—but sometimes for plants benefit from pruning annually, there
another ornamental feature, such as are many that need little attention. Always
colorful stems or leaves. Correct pruning remember—it is difficult to kill a plant
ensures that plants direct their energy into outright through pruning, and with a
producing these. Plants grown for edible considered assessment of a plant’s needs
fruit have their own particular needs. a positive outcome is virtually guaranteed.
HEALTH AND EFFICIENCY Forsythia is a deciduous shrub that can
Plants exist in a state of permanent become untidy if neglected. Regular pruning
ensures a reliable display of cheery, vivid
adolescence: they never stop growing yellow flowers that wreathe the bare stems
throughout their lives. Pruning exploits from early to mid-spring (see pp.192–193).

8
Reasons to prune
Plants will grow naturally perfectly well with minimum intervention,
but in the garden it often becomes necessary to impose your will.
Left to their own devices, plants may lose their shape or succumb
to disease, particularly if they are damaged. Fortunately, most plants
are very forgiving of pruning when it is done correctly.
A RANGE OF HABITS thwart the plant’s natural tendencies. For
When we talk about “habit,” we mean the example, most trees are strongly upright,
way a plant grows and the overall shape of with a single main stem that thickens to
it. Pruning develops and maintains the form a trunk supporting a canopy of side
habit but can occasionally be used to branches—rounded, spreading, teardrop-
Plants with upright habits have branches Plants with a weeping habit have flexible
that turn upward, producing an elegant stems that cascade downward. Cut back any
crown that tapers toward the tip. Remove any that grow upright back to downward facing
wayward growth that spoils the outline. buds, and trim those that drag on the ground.