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SPRING PRUNING Spring pruning in Santa Fe starts as early as February when there is usually at least one balmy week. The older your garden, the more pruning you will need to do every year just to keep things under control and to manageable size in relation to your property. Crab apples and other flowering trees may need to have selected branches removed to prevent them from turning a sunny courtyard into a shade garden. I give mine a 2 foot hair cut every fall to keep them to scale in my courtyard. Many bushy shrubs, especially the natives such as chamisa, sand sage, fern bush and smoke bush can benefit from a haircut early. Spring bloomers such as lilac, kerria or spring blooming spireas must wait until late spring or summer. Roses may be cut back especially when burdened by heavy snow or ice, but save heavy pruning until late March or early April. Late frosts can turn newly pruned canes black. Instead spend this time cleaning up under the rose bushes and scratch in some organic fertilizer. I often think the only benefit from our sharp March breezes is to help remove the last of these tattered leaves. February is especially good for trimming wisteria to encourage bloom. Once the vine is mature, discourage small shoots at the base and cut back the thinner branches to four buds. Try boosting the blooms with a high phosphorus fertilizer. Then pray. I sometimes get blooms in June! Smoke tree can also be trimmed back early as it blooms best on new wood. It can be cut back to the ground to keep it small or trained into a tree- like shape. Certain vines will eat your house if not pruned severely every spring or fall. Trumpet vine is among them. Silver lace is another local culprit. The four giant trumpet vines on my front trellis get a drastic grooming every April. Start with dead wood and new, undesirable growth at the bottom. You will be rewarded with a manageable vine and a plethora of orange blooms come July. Honeysuckle blooms earlier and can wait until summer for a touch up. Remove older stems. Local favorites that need a spring grooming are Caryopteris, Blue Mist Spirea, russian sage, butterfly bush and potentilla. Cut out all dead wood first. Don’t be afraid to reduce a butterfly bush to a foot and a half and simplify its trunk and main branches. Russian sage can be lifted early, cut in half and replanted to keep to size. Watch for runners in the summer. Potentilla and Caryopteris usually have a lot of dead wood to be removed and need to be shaped in a gentle arch. Cat mint should be trimmed in the fall to a mound and after bloom in the summer for late flowers. Chamisa and other natives should be pruned for control depending on their use in your landscape. If they are near your house they need grooming to prevent them from turning into ancient woody giants. Don’t be afraid to hack away to the main trunk and a few branches if needed, otherwise give them a gentle rounded shape. Pruning technique can seem complicated. If you remember to start with dead wood, crossed branches, to prune selected stems from the middle of the plant to encourage air and circulation and to simplify, you won’t go wrong. Prune just above an outside bud. Quality pruners that fit your hand, a good pair of loppers, a power trimmer, a pair of large sharp shears and a ladder are your allies. For trees a long lopper made especially for reaching higher branches works well. I can’t stress enough that spending a little money on quality tools will reward you in the end. Don’t forget to dispose of debris properly. I rent a large mulcher twice a year, add Yum Yum to the end product and use as mulch the next spring. Have courage. Remember a garden is nature under your control!
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