Get a jump on spring

It won’t be long before gardeners are getting back to their gardens. Early spring is a favorite time to prune many trees and shrubs. If you are one of these people take a few minutes to consider the following old but worthwhile practice not often done any more.

Many spring flowering trees and shrubs can be forced into bloom relatively easily and will provide a splash of colour for inside your home. For those of you who winter prune, bring some branches in where it is warm. This will trick the buds into “thinking” it is spring, which will result in some attractive spring colouring as flowers pop out. Check the flower buds to see if they have been damaged by the cold before you force them (they may appear desiccated or shriveled, they should be full and plump). This year has been very cold for an extended period so some damage is to be expected. If you can’t tell which are good and which are not, try it out, you have nothing but a bit of time to lose. If all you get are leaves, when you force your branches, then the flower buds were winter damaged.

Some forced branches will produce roots if left long enough and this can be a way to increase your plant supply (Pussy Willow and Forsythia come to mind).

If you want to keep your pussy willow stems for longer don’t keep them in water, let the catkins (the grey fuzzy buds) develop and then dry them before they go to flower (when the catkins produce yellow pollen), they can last for years.

Many spring flowering plants can be forced to bring a bit of spring into the house. Forcing 2 or 3 varieties or species with differing flower colours will provide an attractive mixed display. Branches can be forced for catkins, leaves or flowers. Instructions and some ideas for suitable plants can be found at the following link

www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/forcing-branches.aspx

London Free Press Article

Good article out of London Free Press, check it out! Please note that you can find a local Arborist through the ISA Ontario Chapter website (treesaregood is American) http://www.lfpress.com/2013/11/08/fall-winter-ideal-time-to-prune-mulch-care-for-trees

When is an “evergreen” not an evergreen? Most conifers (cone bearing trees) are considered as evergreen. These include Pine, Spruce, Cedar, Fir, Yew, False Cypress and Juniper species, sometimes Larch, Dawn Redwood and Cypress are included. While these trees have leaves with needles or broadened leaves which are held on the trees often more than one season the leaves do not persist indefinitely. Most evergreens hold their leaves for 2-5 years and then the the older ones naturally drop much like deciduous trees. We often get calls this time of year asking about leaf colouring and drop on evergreens. “Are my trees going to be all right?” Most often the answer is yes. Natural senescence is the aging and dropping of old leaves and occurs on the inner foliage of most evergreens this time of year. If the inner needles are dropping and it occurs only in the fall things are as they should be. Exceptions are Cypress, Dawn Redwood, and Larch. These are considered deciduous conifers and they lose all of their needles in the fall each year. If you are unsure of your tree species we can help with identification if you wish. Some evergreens suffer from needle diseases which can cause needle drop but these usually involve more of the tree than natural senescence. If you are concerned about you tree health our Plant Health Care Technician can give you an opinion. Call for pricing of assessments if you have concerns.