WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:05.240 Coming to you from Studio A here at Proven Winners 2 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:09.000 Color Choice Shrubs. It's time for the Gardening Simplified podcast, 3 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:13.519 radio and YouTube show with Stacey Hervella, me, Rick Weist, 4 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.879 and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, today we'll 5 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:20.879 talk about pruning. And wow, what a topic. It's an 6 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:25.760 element of no maintenance landscaping. And when I say no maintenance, 7 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:30.000 I don't mean an oh, I mean k now, cause 8 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.200 it really pays to know what you're doing. And it's 9 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:36.280 a stimulating topic. Did you see what I did there? 10 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:38.000 Yes? 11 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:40.640 Okay, so let's dive into it. You know, we'll cut 12 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:48.960 off over the years. Very good, That is well done. 13 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:53.079 I set you up there. Okay. So the questions I 14 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:57.479 get throughout the years about pruning, many of them center 15 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:05.040 around lavender, cutting back your ornamental grasses, spring bulbs, bud lea, hydranges, 16 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:08.920 bramble fruits, rhododendrons, and azaleas. 17 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:12.280 Would you agree definitely, hydrangeas and lavender those are the 18 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:15.319 big ones. And yeah, buddleia gets in there as well. 19 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:19.079 And I think there's just a lot of things that 20 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:23.760 people wonder if they should prune. Yes, And I want 21 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:27.480 to say, right, off the bat to everyone listening that 22 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:32.439 pruning is not necessarily a sign of a good, well 23 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:38.319 maintained landscape. You know. I think that people tend often 24 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:42.000 to prune things because it makes it look like they're 25 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:45.640 taking care of their landscape. It's like I'm showing that 26 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:47.719 I care because I went out and I meet bald 27 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:51.760 these poor you know, yellow privets and red barberries at 28 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:55.799 the gas station landscape, you know, and that they're like, Okay, 29 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:56.640 now it's maintained. 30 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:58.159 Now you can tell that I care. 31 00:01:58.400 --> 00:01:59.959 So you feel like you need to do so. 32 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.439 Some people, Yeah, but I don't think that that means 33 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.840 just because it's maintained and pruned within an injury's life 34 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:10.120 means that it's a good landscape, a healthy landscape. People, 35 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:14.439 I think generally over prune. But maybe that's just my 36 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:15.240 own personal No. 37 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:18.280 I agree. I'm not into the meatballs in tuna can look, 38 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:22.000 I really am not. So it's interesting. And you know, 39 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:24.520 when I think about one of the first things I 40 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.280 know i'm cut off here, Stacy, but one of the 41 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:29.759 first things that pops into my mind when we say 42 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.280 we're going to talk about pruning is shoplifting. 43 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:36.240 Oh oh, like proplifting when people take plant parts from 44 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:37.879 the store to them. 45 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.800 When I ran a garden center, it was the number 46 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.240 one shopliftable item. Pruning shares. 47 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.400 Yeah, that's that makes it. And they are expensive. 48 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:50.840 They're expensive' pracy. But the point here is, here's the 49 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:53.319 reason I bring it up. It is worth it to 50 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:59.120 have good quality pruning shares, good sharp, clean bypass pruning shares. Saw. 51 00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:01.080 If you want to do good job, you got to 52 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:02.280 have good tools. 53 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:04.520 Got to get bypassed pruners. And that's the thing I think. 54 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:06.479 And I made this mistake when I was new to 55 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:10.680 gardening and I was a poor student. The anvil pruners 56 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.400 were much cheaper than the bypass pruners. So the anvil 57 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:15.240 prunters have a blade that comes down on a plate 58 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:18.240 like sshers yep, and then the bypass pruners are like 59 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:21.479 scissors where the blades bypassed one another. I didn't have 60 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.319 a lot of money. I just saw the pruners. I 61 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:25.879 was like, these are cheap and in my budget, and 62 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.080 I bought them, and that was my first pair of pruners. 63 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:30.759 Is embarrassing as that is to say, but anvilprunters are 64 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.360 really only good for cut flowers. After you cut them 65 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:35.919 off the plant and you're arranging them. Or I hear 66 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.800 a lot of forestry people using because they stay sharper longer, 67 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.319 but not a great choice around the land home landscape. 68 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:43.759 I agree spring for the bypass pruners. You'll be glad 69 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:45.240 that you did in selell your hands. 70 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:49.319 Yeah, exactly. So when we talk about pruning, one of 71 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:52.159 the first things we have to do is ask why, 72 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.599 and we prune to maintain plant health, remove dead or 73 00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:01.879 dying branches, disease branches, to train a plant shape or height, 74 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.240 improve the quality of the foliage or the stems or 75 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:12.120 the flowers, because many times pruning will induce that on plants, 76 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.759 restricting growth hazards, safety, first fruit production, rejuvenation of an 77 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:22.600 old shrub, that sort of thing. So there's a bunch 78 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:24.920 of reasons why you would permit it. 79 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:27.439 You know. I have given so many pruning talks in 80 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:29.439 my time, and the number one thing that I say 81 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:32.519 right off the bat, besides pruning does not equal a 82 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:38.000 good landscape, is that you should always have a reason 83 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.000 why you are punting. It might be multiple reasons, but 84 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:45.399 every subsequent decision that you make about pruning, timing, how 85 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.920 much all this other stuff depends on the reason why 86 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:50.959 you are pruning in the first place. So if you 87 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.839 don't have that reason good and fixed in your brain, 88 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:56.800 you can't move on after that. So if you find 89 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:58.680 yourself going, what do I do, you have to go 90 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:01.759 back and revisit that reason that got you out there 91 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:03.240 with your pruning chairs in the first place. 92 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:08.000 I agree, and so you'll hear these general rules of thumb, 93 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.360 like the one third rule. You know, cut back guy 94 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:15.040 one third. I use a budgeting analogy. Think of it 95 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:18.560 this way, and this drives me crazy. Stacey is and 96 00:05:18.639 --> 00:05:22.639 I see it in landscapes, in homes everywhere. And that 97 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:25.560 is let's say, for example, you're having problems with your 98 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.000 personal budget, and so you need to do a little pruning. 99 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:32.839 Don't spend as much money. You can't go in there 100 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:36.439 and just cut ten percent off of everything. You can't 101 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:39.319 decide I'm going to reduce my mortgage or my rent 102 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:42.920 by ten percent now, or my insurance because you're not 103 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:44.759 gonna get away with it, so you're gonna have to 104 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:48.319 pick other things and reduce them further. So what I 105 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:52.240 see is I see topping or snipping. So pruning is 106 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:55.920 a lot like watering. If people are indecisive as to 107 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.120 what to do. Then they decide to do just a 108 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:02.240 little bit based on a schedule, and that's a big 109 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.879 mistake because it creates real problems. Take a look at 110 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:08.600 your pruning, step back from the plant and decide, well, 111 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.879 you know that stem's coming out completely because it's a 112 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:14.480 crossing or a weak branch, That one's going to be 113 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:16.879 cut back by a third, That one I'm going to 114 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:21.560 leave alone. I really believe selective pruning is important, but 115 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:26.360 understandably there is so much confusion because there are different 116 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:30.800 rules for different plants. Again, if I go back to hydranges, 117 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:37.000 you created demystifying hydranges for that purpose because there's just 118 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:38.800 so much confusion there is. 119 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.800 And you know, hydrangeas are a special case because you 120 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:45.600 talk about hydrangeys as a monolith. They're all hydranges, but 121 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:50.120 when it comes to pruning, there are different guidelines for 122 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:53.240 the different types of hydrangs. And even though you love 123 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:54.920 them all together at the garden center, even though you 124 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:56.879 might say I love hydranges and mean all of the 125 00:06:56.959 --> 00:06:59.319 hydranges that we grow in our gardens, when it comes 126 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:02.560 to pruning that it's not a one size fits all approach, 127 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:04.600 and that is a little bit different than pretty much 128 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:08.160 any other group of plants. But once you have understood 129 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:10.959 sort of that key difference, it all kind of falls 130 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.040 into place, I think. But yeah, you do need to 131 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:15.959 know what you're doing. Again, if you don't know what 132 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:19.120 you're doing, you can't do any of the following steps. 133 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:20.959 You just can't do it because you don't know how 134 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.279 much to cut off. You don't know when you should 135 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:25.959 be pruning it. You know, it's so important, and I 136 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:28.480 think so many people again they prune because they think 137 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:32.399 they should not because they have a specific goal in minds. 138 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:36.600 At the same time, there's real benefit in pruning. So 139 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:40.639 when we use the example of hydranges, there's benefit to pruning, 140 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:45.360 for example a smooth hydrangea or a panicled hydrangea, and 141 00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:49.720 so learning the difference between the hydranges is important. Another 142 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:51.720 one that we get asked about a lot this time 143 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:55.240 of the year, staceye is bud lea. And again, give 144 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:58.560 the plants a chance to start up in spring before 145 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:02.399 we start hacking away, and then make a decision that's 146 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:05.560 based on why. And with a bud lea, many times 147 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:09.319 they'll bloom better if you do a good pruning, but 148 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:11.519 you don't have to do it right away. 149 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:14.079 Right Just because you're pruning everything else in your garden 150 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.360 at a specific time doesn't mean that that is when 151 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:19.879 you should prune the budlia. And yeah, I do always 152 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.160 recommend to people. Budley is especially hard because on some plants, 153 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:25.959 when you're pruning, you can very clearly see where the 154 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.920 leaves are emerging or will emerge. Those buds are very clear. 155 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:32.279 On a budlia, it's not necessarily so clear, especially on 156 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:35.240 the main trunk. I remember this is something I encountered, 157 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:37.240 like in my first week of horticulture school, and they 158 00:08:37.240 --> 00:08:38.960 were like, prune this budley, and I was like, God, 159 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:42.399 I don't know what to do because you can't see 160 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:44.240 you know where the growth is going to come from. 161 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:46.200 So you can always wait. You know, if you give. 162 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:49.480 Yourself time to wait, you can research it, you can 163 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:51.720 reach out to proven winners and we will help you 164 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:54.919 with that decision. There's lots of other ways. That's why 165 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.120 I always say when it comes to pruning, when end doubt, don't. 166 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:04.240 Agree, and I always say that try as much as possible. 167 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:08.000 If you need to prune, do it after blooming. Obviously 168 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:12.799 not before pruning, particularly with spring blooming plants. I like 169 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.159 dormant pruning because you get a good look at the 170 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.480 shape of the tree or the plant that you're pruning. 171 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.919 And you also prune to open up a canopy. It 172 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:23.679 allows more light into the canopy of the plant, and 173 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.799 it allows air movement. So again, many different reasons to prune. 174 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:32.679 And we're going to move this conversation into segment four 175 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:35.200 because there's so much to talk. 176 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:37.840 About it, as I think we're pruning in every segment 177 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:41.600 today standing and maybe not every question in mailbag, Plants 178 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:44.440 and trial definitely about pruning. At least one question in 179 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:46.639 mail bag very much about pruning, as well as a 180 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:48.720 little bit of relationship advice that I think we're going 181 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:51.279 to have to excellently to keep the peace there. 182 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:54.559 But I love that because again you talk about lavender 183 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:58.120 or things like tomatoes or flowering shrubs, there are so 184 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:02.720 many pruning rules and things that can apply. I'll end 185 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:06.000 this segment with a pruning limerick. I wrote for you 186 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:09.120 that shrub in my yard is ballooning. It needs some 187 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:14.039 serious grooming. Just how do I decide my spouse is petrified? 188 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:18.840 I'm holding a shears and assuming the fallout may be stark. 189 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:22.840 If I cut and miss my mark, it's a pruning job, gaff. 190 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:28.080 Everybody's gonna laugh. Maybe I'll wait until after dark. It's 191 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:31.840 just gonna ramble on. I'll shape it to a palm palm. 192 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.519 Maybe no one will notice I've hacked my stephan notice 193 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:41.720 by morning light, I'll be gone. There's an approach plants 194 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:45.559 on trial coming up next here on the Gardening Simplified Ship. 195 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:54.559 Beautify your home and community with proven Winner's Color Choice 196 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:57.720 shrubs with over three hundred and twenty five unique varieties 197 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:00.399 to choose from. There's a flowering shrubber ever Green for 198 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:03.600 every taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive 199 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:06.399 white container your local garden center or learn more at 200 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:12.159 proven Winner's Color Choice dot com. Reading's gardening friends, and 201 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:15.639 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. Where it is spring. 202 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:18.120 It is in full swing. The weather is maybe kind 203 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:20.559 of sort of starting to cooperate here in Michigan and 204 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.360 feel a little bit springy, although I have to say 205 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:25.159 it has not really stopped people from working in their 206 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:27.759 yards too much. I've seen a lot of people out 207 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:30.120 there shivering, but I'm out there, but out there I've 208 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:33.120 been out there a little bit doing all the perennial 209 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:37.080 cutback and all of that jazz. But of course, I 210 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.519 you know, I like to leave my perennials as long 211 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:40.759 as I can. I don't want to wait too long 212 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:43.399 because then everything starts coming up, and then you're stepping 213 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:45.639 on all this soft and tender greenery as you're trying 214 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:48.279 to take out your perennials. But of course I do 215 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:50.279 know that a lot of insects and so forth are 216 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.919 burrowing in there and waiting for their opportunity to emerge. 217 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:57.440 And our conversation with Mike from Honeytree Nursery the other 218 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:00.279 week definitely inspired me to make sure I'm protecting all 219 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:03.399 those little guys. So I just pile everything up into 220 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:08.080 a big cut off plant, part burrito burrito for a 221 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:12.080 couple of weeks until they emerge. But yes, I have 222 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.720 been out there, and I know a lot of people 223 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:17.159 start to wonder about pruning. And if you have like 224 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:19.399 a mixed border like I have, and you have where 225 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:22.360 you have a mix of shrubs and perennials, it's really 226 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:24.120 easy to just get in there and prune and prune 227 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.000 and prune and prune, and then you're like, oh, crud, 228 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:28.000 that didn't feel the same way. I don't think that 229 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.519 was a perennial. I just cut one of my shrubs. 230 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:33.200 You know that that happens. 231 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:35.120 Can make that mistake. You know what drives me crazy 232 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:38.879 is when I go through a neighborhood weeping trees. Weeping 233 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:42.840 trees do not prune those things to look like it's 234 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:47.639 the beetle's haircut from the nineteen sixties. You see them everywhere, 235 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:50.840 a nice weeping cherry or something like that, and it 236 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:53.759 looks like the beetles stepping off the airplane in New 237 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:55.320 York in the nineteen sixties. 238 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:58.559 You've seen those, Oh I have seen them too many times. 239 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:01.080 Oh man, Yeah, it's. 240 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:04.039 You know, it's so unfortunate because those plants could be 241 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:08.600 so cool. You know, there's nothing wrong with having a 242 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:14.399 weeping plant that covers the trunk completely and makes a magical, 243 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:18.519 unique little space in there instead of yeah, the the 244 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.080 Dutch boy Bob there, you know, like the Bob haircut. 245 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:27.039 But yeah, that's why do you have a weeping tree 246 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:29.480 if you're going to just give it that silly little haircut. 247 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:32.200 Well, I think again, it comes down to the fact, 248 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:35.000 like I said in the first segment taking the approach 249 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:38.559 where you treat everything the same and cut it straight across, 250 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:40.240 like when I was a kid and my mom would 251 00:13:40.279 --> 00:13:42.600 put a pan on my head and yeah, exactly right, 252 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:45.200 because I've got pictures. Not going to show them to you, 253 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:46.240 but I got pictures. 254 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:49.159 Yeah. 255 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:52.759 So lots going on right now with the pruning. And 256 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:55.240 of course, so today's Plant on Trial did have to 257 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:59.759 speak to this issue of pruning. And today's Plant on 258 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:04.840 Tree Trial is perfected Mundo double purple reblooming azalea. 259 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:09.320 Interesting, but I'm glad you're bringing up the reblooming topic. 260 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.120 That's exactly it now, I will say right off the bat, 261 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:14.039 you know, I wouldn't spend a whole whole lot of 262 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:16.120 time talking about the perfected Mundo azaleas. 263 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:17.000 Even though I love them. 264 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.759 They're absolutely gorgeous, they aren't exactly hearty for us here 265 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:24.440 in Michigan, out here in West Michigan. They do survive, 266 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:27.720 but typically what happens is the winter was harsh enough 267 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:30.720 that the plant lives, but the spring flower buds got 268 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.840 you know, hit by all that ice. So you're kind 269 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:35.919 of like, what is this thing doing when it's not 270 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.759 even going to flower? But This is a reblooming azalea, 271 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:43.039 and reblooming azaleas are very much a thing, but that 272 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:46.799 surprises a lot of Midwestern gardeners because we don't have 273 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:51.600 them here. All of the genetics that imbue that reblooming 274 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:55.679 ability belong to species of azaleas that are much more 275 00:14:55.840 --> 00:15:00.000 tender than can grow in these climates. So Ever, since 276 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:02.480 the first reblooming azalea was introduced, you know, twenty or 277 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:07.320 so years ago, they have been largely considered warm climate plants. 278 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:11.360 I would say, like mid Atlantic, say Virginia on down 279 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:13.399 all the way through the South, You'll have no problem 280 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:18.759 growing them down there. But I'm bringing this plant up 281 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:21.600 because it is a great example of what it means 282 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:26.960 to be a reblooming plant and how you prune reblooming shrubs. 283 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.000 And we have a lot of reblooming shrubs, so there 284 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:31.000 was a lot that I could have chosen, a lot 285 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.279 of them that I've already covered. We've got our bloomerang, 286 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:37.279 reblooming lilacs, we have got our sonic bloom whigela, and 287 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:41.240 of course we have these perfected window azaleas. So reblooming plants, 288 00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:45.919 as the name implies, bloom alongside their conventional counterparts. So 289 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.360 in the case of the perfected window azaleas, they are 290 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:53.000 going to bloom in spring when other non reblooming azaleas. 291 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.240 What In the case of the sonic bloom wigela, they're 292 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:57.559 going to bloom in late spring when other Whyjeela do 293 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:02.919 bloomerang lilac blooming in about mid May just like other ones. 294 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:04.399 And all of that. 295 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:08.799 First bloom on these reblooming plants is on what is 296 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:12.159 known as old wood. Now I see a lot of 297 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:16.039 people online get really confused by this. Every plant has 298 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:18.360 old wood. It's just wood that was created in the 299 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:23.919 previous season or several previous seasons before. But the question 300 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:26.639 is not whether the plant has old wood. The question 301 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:31.440 is where does it set the flower buds. And generally speaking, 302 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:35.559 the earlier a plant flowers in spring, the more likely 303 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.960 it is to have created those buds the previous season. 304 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:40.360 Because you know, think about it when I said this 305 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.320 when we had show off Forcythia's our plants on trial 306 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:44.919 a few weeks ago. You know, right now, the weather's 307 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:47.720 still quite cool. The plant would not nearly have enough 308 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:51.399 time in Michigan to create flower buds to open in 309 00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:55.120 a few weeks. Instead, they're making them last summer, overwintering 310 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:57.000 them and then opening them as soon as the going 311 00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:59.639 gets good in spring. So that's what it means to 312 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:02.759 flowers on old wood. The flower buds were created on 313 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:05.759 the wood from last year and stacey. 314 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:11.599 Perfect examples would be like lilac or magnoli or as yep. 315 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:15.000 Definitely those earlier it blooms, the more likely it bloomed 316 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.240 on oldwood. But the difference with re blooming shrubs is 317 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:21.640 that they bloom on oldwood with those other ones, but 318 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.039 they also have the ability to bloom on new wood. 319 00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:27.839 And plants that bloom on new wood. Basically, what that 320 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:31.200 means they didn't have any flower buds on them over winter. 321 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:33.759 Once the going gets good in spring and they start 322 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:37.680 leafing out and growing, then they create their flower buds 323 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:42.359 for that same season. So examples of some shrubs at 324 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:45.319 flower on new wood. Roses are a great example. Roses 325 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:47.160 flower on Newood's why you're able to prune them in 326 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:49.400 spring and they'll go on to bloom by about June. 327 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:54.160 Panicle and smooth hydranges of course also bloom on new wood. 328 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:58.039 So again this type no flower buds through the winter, 329 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:00.640 and once it gets nice in spring they'll actually set 330 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:06.240 those flower buds. Reblooming shrubs do both, and so what 331 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:10.400 that means for pruning is that if you want to 332 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:13.920 prune them, you're going to do so immediately after that 333 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:20.599 spring bloom. And pruning them accomplishes a couple of different things. 334 00:18:20.599 --> 00:18:23.160 So number one, it will take away any seed that 335 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:26.240 might have formed. This isn't usually a huge issue, certainly 336 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:27.640 not on the azaleas. You're not going to get a 337 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:29.559 lot of seed production, but it's one of the reasons 338 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:32.160 why I do recommend doing this on bloomerang lilac because 339 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:34.839 they do quite a lot of seed, and then that's 340 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.920 just the plant putting a lot of energy into maturing 341 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:40.160 seed that you don't want and probably won't even grow anyway. 342 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:45.920 So it kind of refreshes them, reshapes them. And the 343 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:50.119 key to reblooming shrubs reblooming well is that they have 344 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:53.519 to put on a lot of new growth in between 345 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.839 those two bloom times. And when you prune something and 346 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.839 I know, record you've got this on tap for later today, 347 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:04.759 When you prune a shrub branch and you take off 348 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.880 that tip, that tip has it's like a hormone factory. 349 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:11.079 That's just producing these growth suppressing hormones for all of 350 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:14.039 the leaf buds below it. So if you don't prune it, 351 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:18.400 you've got one stem growing up all season long. If 352 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.200 you prune it, now all of a sudden, all of 353 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.160 those lower buds are released, and now you have six 354 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:27.240 or eight or more growth points from that same branch. 355 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.319 And now instead of just having one branch that's going 356 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.440 to produce a flower cluster, now you have six or eight. 357 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:37.599 So you're increasing the amount of growth that can set 358 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:41.279 these new wood flower buds. And when you prune a plant, 359 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:44.880 especially if it is established, you are actually going to 360 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.400 encourage it to regrow because it has all the energy 361 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:51.359 of its root system down below to recover from that pruning. 362 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:54.400 So those two things combined mean the plant is going 363 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:56.799 to put on a lot of new growth. And the 364 00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:59.039 more new growth that plant puts on in that window 365 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:02.480 of time, the better your rebloom is going to be. 366 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:05.640 So this is a case where pruning is not necessary, 367 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:09.480 but it definitely is beneficial. And it's a situation too 368 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:11.160 where if you don't have time or you forget to 369 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:13.119 do it, not the end of the world, but if 370 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:16.039 you really want the best from your plant, this is 371 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:18.559 a very easy practice. It helps to keep the plant 372 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:21.480 in control, keep it having that nice tidy look that 373 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:23.839 people like, and you're just going to get the best 374 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:25.039 flower set as well. 375 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:29.000 And the benefit you have here is you're suggesting Stacy 376 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:34.039 to prune in spring after it's done blooming, and that's 377 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:36.440 what we're going to do with the spring bloomers anyhow, 378 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:37.960 that's when we should be pruning them. 379 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:39.480 Yeah, so a lot of people get confused, Oh, I 380 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.519 don't want to mess up the rebloom. Now, if you 381 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:46.480 don't prune these reblooming shrubs, you will actually get them 382 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:49.759 to rebloom a little bit sooner. The pruning does delay 383 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:52.519 that rebloom by a few weeks, but in my experience, 384 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:56.200 it is more than worth it, yep, the amount of 385 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:59.480 flowers that you get and the longevity of that rebloom 386 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:01.440 because it doesn't kind of gas out, you know, in 387 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:05.440 a few weeks, it's gonna by the time it recovers 388 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:07.759 from the pruning, the days are getting a lot shorter, 389 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:10.000 the nights are getting longer, it's getting a little bit cooler, 390 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:13.519 and that will help the rebloom really bring it home 391 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.599 and look its best. Absolutely, So all of that for 392 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:20.119 perfective Mundo double purple reblooming azalea, but also, like I said, 393 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:23.359 a stand in for whatever reblooming shrub that you might have. 394 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:25.160 And we have a lot, but there are other ones 395 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:27.039 out there on the market. And you know, this is 396 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:28.839 an important breeding goal for us because who doesn't want 397 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:29.480 more flowers? 398 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.599 Correct, it's fabulous and and the number of cultivars now 399 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.960 that are available, it's stunning to me. I mean, the 400 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:38.319 benefit is fabulous. 401 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:40.720