What to do When in the Garden
It’s November. A relative has just paid someone to prune back all her forsythia, as it had overgrown into the driveway. For a “while you’re here” deal, she also paid him to drastically cut back her overgrown blueberries. IN NOVEMBER.
So, what’s the problem with this good deal? You might want spring blooms on your forsythia, and you might want to harvest blueberries from those blueberry plants you bothered to plant. But neither of these is going to happen if you prune these plants back in fall.
Forsythia Details: Forsythia can grow 2-4 feet per year, and can tolerate being cut to the ground. But any pruning should be done just after it blooms in spring, if you want it to bloom again next year. Forsythia blooms on last year’s growth. Pruning in November cuts off this growth, and hence no blooms next year.
Blueberry Details: It’s best to prune blueberries in Georgia in late winter to early spring while they are dormant, before new growth or buds appear. Blueberries bloom and fruit on new growth. After pruning, one may expect to see a bit of new growth at the cut back ends. Pruning in summer or fall would put any new growth that emerges at that time in jeopardy of winter damage.
On a similar note, there’s the conundrum about remembering which hydrangeas and which clematis bloom on old wood and which on new wood. But if you know the variety of the plant, you can look it up.
How can we as gardeners remember all these important details?
We don’t HAVE to remember everything. We just need to remember to SAVE THE PLANT ID INFORMATION when we purchase and plant a new plant. I’ve had twelve or so of those dirty plastic identification strips in the cup by my computer, waiting until I write everything down. Sure, I know now where I planted that new purple clematis, but what variety was it? Uhhhh? And will I remember this next spring?
It has been helpful to me to have all the information about the plants I’ve planted in one place. Specifically, an Excel database. But pen and paper work fine. In my spare time, I’ll enter the information and finally toss out those dirty plastic plant strips.
However one decides to record this doesn’t matter, but these are the categories of information that are important to record for each plant in your garden.
Common name, scientific name, when it blooms, growing conditions, annual or perennial, when to prune. Other categories may include: mature size to expect, where & when this was planted, and even the source from which it was procured.
The attached chart may be helpful in recording this information either electronically or by hand.
Now you’ll know to prune roses around Valentine’s Day, cut back that brownish liriope and prune blueberries in late winter to early spring, and cut back forsythia after it blooms in spring. As far is your specific variety of clematis, you’ll have to consult your chart.
Happy gardening, and enjoy your forsythia blooms and blueberries.
Linda Mobley, Master Gardener Extension Volunteer, Headwaters Master Gardeners
