Chris started by giving us some pruning advice:
- You need a reason to prune: aesthetic, plant health, etc. Our reason was to improve sight lines and clear pathways of overhanging shrubs.
- Plant should be in a dormant state so Autumn or late winter best.
- Cut back to where something is already branching out
- The centre of the tree should not be too dense, sometimes needs thinning out
- Crossing branches should go - work out which is the weakest branch and prune this
- Step cut branches for more control - ie. cut a third of the way through on one side and then from the opposite side a little further along
- Cuts potentially weaken tree so leave as little surface area cut as possible
- With shrubs cut back to new bud growth with a slanting cut
We pruned the straggly pyrocantha (firethorn), cut back saplings where they had already been pruned and cut back the mahonia (oregon grape) where it overhung the path. These will be pruned back further after they have finished flowering.
Thank you Chris, and to everyone who came along.
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