Spring Reminder
Mother Nature’s Moment, April 2018
by: Lesley Bruce Smith, ISA Certified Arborist
French Hybrid Lilac in all its spring glory. Photos by Lesley Bruce Smith
We all wait, not so patiently, for the warmer weather and spring time flowers. It is certainly one of our favorite times of year. The trees and shrubs are ready to explode, having worked very hard last summer, when the sunlight was at its zenith, creating all the buds that are full of sugars and about to burst out into flowers, leaves and eventually fruit. The key here is to remember that this year’s flowers and leaves were created last year, so if autumn or spring clean-up includes “shearing” the outside of the shrubs, most of the flowers will go away. A sad thing that we see repeated EVERY year.
Saucer Magnolia at the peak of spring flowering
Rarely does wise pruning/trimming include “shearing” a plant. This is because shearing, like all trimming, promotes growth at the point of the cut. If we promote all the growth at the outside edge of the plant, where we want it to stop growing, it is not only sending a very mixed message to the plant, it creates such a dense exterior that no food = light can get to the interior portions of the plants, creating deep shade which ends up starving and killing the interior of the shrub or small tree. What happens over the long haul is a plant whose bottom and sides die out, creating an unattractive plant that no longer provides the screen or ornamental value for which it was intended. When shrubs and small trees are trimmed wisely, the flowers and character and long term health of the plant is preserved and protected. The craftsmen at Arborsmith™ Ltd know how to trim to get the most out of your precious flowering Lilac, Crab or Magnolia, creating the showpiece you desire. Don’t let unknowing hands destroy the spring flowers we are all waiting for. For more information check out our Shrub Trimming Abstract™ or Ornamental Trimming Abstract™ which give all the details on this important part of Spring Clean-up and preparation, you can call our office for a link.