You may have seen soil resembling coffee grounds and noticed large worms moving quickly just below the surface – these are the invasive jumping worms in action. UMass sponsored four workshops over two days on this topic. The takeaway message is that the worms are here, and scientists are studying and experimenting in order to…
Winterberries and hollies bloom on new wood, so we will be shaping these mature shrubs in early spring to create pleasing natural templates for berries in fall and winter 2022-23. Crabapples and other small deciduous trees can be pruned this winter until April, during their dormant season. And, of course, we will be pruning the cutback shrubs…
It seems high time that I wrote about a vine! With the lengthening days, native honeysuckle vines are beginning to show buds now. This is the time to prune them back hard, as they bloom on new wood that will be produced this spring and summer. The vines will climb to about 10’ a season…
That is, as soon as the snow and ice are about out of the way! Aim to finish before new buds emerge in March. Begin by cutting out all dead canes to the base of the plant. These are very visible during this dormant season and will have a different color and lighter feel than live canes.…
Small fruits are best pruned during the dormant season, and blueberries are no exception. This dormant period runs from November to early April, well before leaves appear. However, with the mild weather so far this winter season, we suggest getting down to blueberry pruning now. Here are a few tips: Prune only on a clear…
Dormant pruning will be ongoing this winter as weather permits with a select PBOG crew. We have several orchards on our list, along with Kousa dogwood trees, forsythia hedges, and other deciduous material. It is easiest to see a plant’s structure when its leaves have dropped. Also it’s the traditional time to prune fruit trees during cool temperatures…
Many questions have come in about pruning roses in fall. I’m not in favor of this action, since we don’t know what kind of winter lies ahead. Canes are often damaged in severe weather, and a cut made now won’t fully heal. There is the potential for further damage. Long, floppy vegetative canes won’t bloom…
Keep up with harvesting vegetables and herbs Pick yourself a bouquet Pull any spent summer crops and sow seeds of spinach, arugula, kale and lettuce for fall harvesting Sow cover crops this month on any bare ground in the vegetable garden Order seed garlic for planting in October Continue to weed and deadhead Keep watering…
We will be carefully observing your landscapes and evaluating the timing of our pruning work that usually happens during summer. If a large amount of wilting is seen, we may choose to not prune this year if you lack in-ground irrigation. The spike waterer will be in use as we work, helping plants adjust to…
Dormant pruning can occur from November through April, so we will be completing some of these tasks on plants that have lost their leaves (deciduous) when weather conditions permit. This is the prime time to prune apple orchards or any fruit tree, dogwoods, Japanese maples, and viburnums with densely structured branches. Below 20 degrees, we do…