Lyn and Duncan Wilson from Pine Tree Nursery, gave an interesting presentation entitled ’Preparing for Summer’ , illustrated by a series of slides.
The first part of Lyn Wilson’s talk was centred on the fact that many insects and birds are dependent for winter food on the seed heads of many of our garden plants.
Her advice was to, not cut down and clear away every autumn plant but to leave those with seed heads to overwinter as sustenance and shelter for wildlife.
One of the slides showed goldfinches feeding on seed heads in her garden. The protective warmth offered during their hibernation period is vital for ladybirds and lacewings, both of which are voracious aphid eaters. Once the outside temperature rises to 10 degrees, bumble bees tend to appear and so early flowering plants provide invaluable nectar for them. Bug, butterfly and bee boxes in the garden are an excellent way to encourage more wildlife into your garden.
Plants to consider for early spring sustenance to small creatures include mahonia, sarcococca , jasmines, helebores, snowdrops and primulas.
The second part of the talk was a very useful practical demonstration of how best to prune a variety of shrubs and plants in order to maximise their flowering potential. Plants from Pine Tree Nurseries were used as demonstrations to indicate how, why, where and when to prune.
Sharp cutting tools are essential and the basic 3 D’s (dead, diseased or damaged) provide a rough guide when deciding which branches are removed including any which are crossing or rubbing or are weak and straggly.
A Quick Synopsis for Pruning:
Group 1 - The first group of plants to prune are those which flower in summer and bloom on the same season’s growth….buddleia, spirea, hardy fuchsia, perovskia, hydrangea and roses.
Group 2 - The second group are those which flower on the previous years growth and flower during the winter months and spring, such as philadelphus, weigela, ribes, forsythia, vibernam. These are all pruned after flowering.
Group 3 - Thirdly, evergreen shrubs are best trimmed after all risk of frost has past to avoid any damage and dieback caused by frost penetrating freshly cut stems.
Another common principal of pruning is to only remove about one third of the stems of a plant each year in order to maintain a good structure and encourage more blooms.
In Cumbria ... "advice is to delay all pruning due to our northerly colder climate."
Lyn then demonstrated how to prune the various types of hydrangeas…including paniculata , arborescens and macrophilla. Other plants used to demonstrate care and maintenance tips included lavender, dogwoods, herbaceous perennials, sedums, hemerocallis( day lilies), iris sibirica, and various ornamental grasses.
A fact-filled, practical and informative evening’s entertainment was followed by the opportunity for members to purchase plants from the wide selection available which had been brought from Pine Tree Nurseries.
https://pinetreenurseries.co.uk
by Jude Jansen
