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Making It Grow! News Articles

January 7th

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pruning has got to be one of the most boring and tedious jobs
around the home landscape. not many gardeners enjoy this
practice, especially hauling off all the plant debis. yet, this
cultural practice is one of the most important for both woody
ornamentals and fruit trees. flowering, shape, and quality of fruit
produced are all effected by pruning. correct timing is just as
important as how you prune.

question: several weeks ago i purchased and planted a half dozen
Anabelle hydrangeas. should this be pruned differently than the
hydrangea macrophylla? according to michael dirr's "manual of woody
landscape plants" the Anabelle hydrangea should be pruned back to the
ground in late winter. hydrangea macrophylla should be pruned right
after flowering because this species flowers from buds formed on
previous seasons growth. not all hydrangeas are pruned by the same
method and time. it is important for you to know the species which you
have growing.

question: my muscadine vine has not been pruned since it was
planted several years ago. where do i start? you start with sharp hand
shears, patience, and plenty of time. proper pruning of muscadines
impacts both quantitiy and quality of fruit produced. muscadine fruit
are borne on new shoots arising from last year's growth. cut back all
of the lateral shoots produced during the previous summer to retain
two to four buds per shoot. on vigorous shoots six buds can be left.
for more infomation on pruning backyard fruit go by your local county
extension office and pick up "growing fruits at home". it has a wealth
of suggestions for growing fruit around the home.

question: is there anything that can be planted in the home
vegetable garden during all this cold weather? many gardeners are
anxious to get started planting a new garden. the weather has been
confining but there are many vegetables that can be planted during
january and february in south carolina. cabbage, beets, brocolli,
carrots, lettuce, onions, asparagus, potatoes, and spinach can all be
planted. it would be best to plant asparagus crowns and cabbage this
month and wait for february to plant the others.