Old apple tree – pruning

Old apple tree – pruning

An old apple tree needs a bit of grooming .. but it has to be done over a couple of years

When it comes to fruit tree pruning you might think that one season will be enough to bring back a tree from a total mess to a well structured, healthy and fruitful tree but no it
isn’t enough. Most of the time you need to allow few years to reshape such tree.
Tree we have done recently had lots of water sprouts ( suckers ) that haven’t been removed after someone else before did what it seemed to me like a major reduction ..
It had some rubbing, crossing branches and some dead ones..
Decision was to remove suckers, crossing / rubbing branches and some dead ones. No reduction this year as this would have been too much in my opinion.
Gardening in January 2019

Gardening in January 2019

Mid of January 2019 and we are getting busy – pruning, hedge trimming, garden tidy ups, shrubs and trees removal

This week we are fully booked up – just before a forecasted cold snap expected to hit us very soon, but will it ? 😉
What’s been done and what’s still ahead of us is listed below:

    • On Tuesday a garden tidy up ( trimming, strimming, mowing, green waste removal and laurel hedges cut ) – DONE

      You can read review of this job under this link.We did have a small incident with a strimmer and a stone – unfortunately it does happen every few years which means it won’t happen for awhile now !! 🙂

  • On Wednesday some fruit trees pruned and a big leilandii hedge trimming – DONE

  • Photos below:

     

    • On Thursday medium tree to be pruned, and quite a few medium sized budleia trees uprooted – DONE

      You can read a review of the above mentioned job here

    • On Friday a garden tidy up including another budleia removal and privet hedge reduction – DONE

    •  

      Let’s see what the next week will bring us – hopefully snow !!!

       

      Hedge cutting / trimming – Tidy Gardens

      Hedge cutting / trimming – Tidy Gardens

      When it comes to hedge maintenance, regular hedge cutting / trimming is the single most important thing to do. Regular hedge trim will make your hedge compact and thick right from the bottom.

      Why plant a hedge?

      Hedge can be a perfect garden boundary, but the wrong one may give you troubles.

      • hedges provide shelter.
      • They dumpen noises, reduce strong winds
      • The obvious they give you privacy.
      • security but not all hedges. Thorny, prickly varieties like for example:

      Common holly

      Firethorn

      Blackthorn

      Barberry

      Buckthorn

      • some hedging plants like photinia give you a beautiful seasonal change.
      • hedge supports wildlife. Birds love nesting in them as well as eating some berries.
      • unlike wooden fences, hedges won’t need replacing for many many years and they don’t require anything more than regular hedge cutting.

      I can’t stress that too much.
      Hedges need your commitment to regular hedge cutting / trimming.

      All types of hedging need at least one hedge cut a year. Some varieties more than one.
      A regular light prune is much better for you and your hedge then an occasional heavy cut.
      Power tools do a quick job if done regularly. High and overgrown hedges often need costly specialist equipment or professional help
      to get them back into shape.


      You can avoid a lot of problems in future if you choose the right hedging plants for your boundary.

      Hedge planting – the right choice.

      The many benefits of growing hedges on your boundary depend on selecting the right plants for the situation. If you choose an unsuitable variety you could be faced with a range of problems, especially if the hedge grows too big. It will be difficult to trim and may cut out light to your garden or house.

      • Its roots could deprive other plants of water and nutrients, and even interfere with paths and buildings.
      • Oversize hedges will intrude on your garden space, and may cause problems with neighbours.
      • Oversize hedges can be costly and time consuming to cut back and most conifers, including Leyland and Lawson’s cypress, will not tolerate hard pruning.
      • If the hedge borders a road or path the local authority could get involved, and insist the hedge is cut back.

      Luckily there is a wide range of plants available so it’s not difficult to achieve an attractive healthy hedge – one which will take only as much upkeep as you can manage, and create an attractive feature in your neighbourhood, not a bone of contention.



      Growth rate hedge cutting – how often Size if unpruned Foliage Prickly?
      Beech xxx Once Large tree D/LL No
      Berberis xx Once Large shrub E Yes
      Cherry laurel xx Once Large shrub E No
      Cotoneaster xx Once Large shrub E No
      Escallonia xx Twice Large shrub E No
      Firethorn xx Twice Large shrub E Yes
      Hawthorn xxx Twice Small tree D Yes
      Hazel xxx Once Small tree D No
      Holly x Once Small tree E Yes
      Hornbeam xx Once Large tree D/LL No
      Lawsons cypress xx Twice Large tree E Conifer No
      Leyland cypress xxx Twice Large tree E Conifer No
      Portugal laurel x Once Large shrub E No
      Privet xx Three Large shrub E No
      Rose xx Once Large shrub D Yes
      Western red cedar xx Twice Large tree E Conifer No
      Yew x Once Large tree E Conifer No

      Key:

      Growth rate, for established plants
      xxx – over 60cm/year
      xx – 30-60cm/year
      x – 15-30cm/year

      Foliage:
      D – deciduous
      LL – dead leaves held in winter
      E – evergreen

      yew hedge


      My favourite hedging plant has to be YEW ( taxus )
      Classic choice but everlasting and makes an excellent hedge. Doesnt need that much hedge cutting either.

      largest yew tree
      Tidy Gardens can trim/prune most of hedges, but if you are that lucky and have spectacular yew like on a picture above then DON’T call us. Call for a crane ! 🙂

      Fruit tree pruning

      Fruit tree pruning

      Apple tree pruning

      Pictures of “before and after” apple fruit tree pruning.
      Winter finally and the right time to prune most of fruit trees.
      We moved here in summer 2013 so this was my first opportunity to sort this tree out.
      There were loads of apples this year, but majority of them were small and didn’t taste well.
      Tree itself looked weak. Hopefully this years pruning will give us great apples in the following years !

      After a good prune of your fruit trees the previous year, there should be plenty of blossom and finally delicious fruits the following year !
      fruit tree after last year pruning

      Call Paul