[gardeners] redbud pruning, was Re: NK brand seeds
Kay Lancaster (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 15 Jun 1998 22:00:31 -0700 (PDT)
On Mon, 15 Jun 1998, penny x stamm wrote:
> Kay, as soon as I can survey the situation, I shall consider what
> you are suggesting. Branches on this kind of redbud never grow
> strong. They are too flexible and too thin and too long, with giant
> heart-shaped leaves lifting and dropping the branches all the time.
> They appear to be a hazardous variety of show tree to plant, which
> is a pity because they fill their space magnificently.
They are indeed gorgeous plants, especially (imho) after they've
lost a few branches and start looking ancient. Legumes are typically
weak-wooded, with a tendency to snapped branches. Only way I know
to keep things under control is to be fairly vigilant with pruning
to keep the total weight of leaves on the main branches within
reasonable limits. So I do a lot of tip pruning and pruning
"from the inside out" to keep the canopy fairly open.
Kay Lancaster kay@fern.com
just west of Portland, OR; USDA zone 8 (polarfleece)