Trimming Plants Blindly...Homeowner Beware

Some of you may have spoken with me or read my articles and assumed I detest trimming and that it is wrong. And, that pruning is the only way to address a plant - tree or shrub. "Damn plant snob", you may say.

Well, for many shrubs, based on growth habit, branching, the season, foliage and the owner's desires, trimming is wonderful.

I love trimming certain plants and shrubs which should or can be and I have been recognized for such on occasion. See https://shootsandmatters.blogspot.com/2019/05/its-all-in-name-well-whatever-branch.html).

Trimming shrubs requires skill and some artistic (not some crazy topiary recreation) sense does help, but whether you, the homeowner, are blindly continuing to trim shrubs or have someone else do so in the same fashion, you are going to find the plants on your landscape in physical and aesthetic disarray, and declining in health.

No offense, but many lawn service contractors and landscapers (not all) truly don't know plants and their physiology enough to deal with them beyond trimming and shaping them. That's all fine; you probably aren't paying them to pay attention to the growth and health of your plants.

There is nothing more attractive than a well-trimmed and shaped loropetalum, azalea, japanese yew or other such plant, during the growing season. But, there are many things taking place in the interior over time and other plants which find home inside your favorite camellia, holly or pittosporum and your husband or yard guy simply keeps buzzing away with a power trimmer. See (https://shootsandmatters.blogspot.com/2018/05/how-to-not-hack-azaleas-and-other-shrubs.html.

Some property and home developers concocted some plan back in the 60s and 70s to plant trees (which they assumed were shrubs) too close to homes' foundations, particularly on the front side of the home. And, so-called landscape architects were involved, as well. Unfortunately, this practice pretty much held until this century and still does in many cases. Perhaps they wanted to hide ugly home designs - I don't know.

We provide lawn maintenance for a few customers for which we are also addressing other plant, shrub, tree and plant bed concerns. I have never tried to take that basic lawn business away from another person or company even as much as I knew they weren't spending an ounce of time truly addressing shrub health. And, also, some have the wackiest ideas about how to shape a shrub aesthetically - this simple act also should consider plant health.

I have had the good fortune of working on some of the most gorgeous properties while also helping others bring their landscape back to a state more enjoyable or perhaps shown the potential of what could be. It doesn't matter to me, either way. It is wonderful to take advantage of a plants potential considering we or someone else placed them other than where they would have preferred and they went neglected - it happens.

We provide periodic pruning for many of our customers and trimming as well, when they request, but if you are having difficulty yourself trimming your shrubs or with those that do so for you, we will gladly come up with a plan to do so and also occasionally get our head inside your plants, see what else is going on and prune them when need be.

Again, I love trimming. It is my visual and artistic side and I can show you the slightest adjustments which can make a huge difference in shaping. But at some point you have to pay attention to the health of your plants by pruning properly or you may not have an attractive plant worth trimming.

To read more articles about pruning, please go to https://shootsandmatters.blogspot.com/search?q=pruning.

Thank you.