A question came in from Sandy Heikkila located in Ontonagon, Upper Pennisula Michigan. She wanted to know when to prune her spirea and barberry shrubs. Answer: The best time for cutting back both shrubs is early spring before new growth begins. According to the University of Minnesota, spring pruning is standard for any shrub grown […]
Archive for the ‘Trees and shrubs’ Category
Autumn Shrubs – A Great Bargain
We have a border of shrubs between us and our neighbors that is old and filled with buckthorn. This year our neighbor agreed to have his shrubs trimmed back and the buckthorn removed. As part of the pact, we offered to plant some new attractive shrubs. I hoped that I could still find suitable bushes […]
Giant French Lilacs
We went on vacation this year to Mackinac Island and like everyone else, we took the ferry. As we came off the boat and into the village, I noticed that the buildings were old but very well kept. Most of the businesses and many of the houses had flowers planted in their yards which only […]
Planting for Privacy
When we first purchased our home, I was very excited to have a yard with a large concrete patio space in the back and I could visualize having friends over for summer parties. However, when we hosted our first outdoor event, I realized that we were entertaining in a “fishbowl”. Our house was built on […]
Pollarding or Lollipop Trees
When we first moved into our new home, the neighborhood had a lot of stately old weeping willow trees. In fact our next-door neighbor’s willow sported a large tree house close to our lot line and we first thought it might on our property. I was a bit disappointed to find out that it belonged […]