Pruning Required

[Big Lou]

At the time the bed you will see was created by the landscaper we ask for the miniature shrub species to be arranged so they would look natural without pruning. We trusted everything he said up to the day he left our job unfinished with our money in his pocket. They say ignorance is bliss. This then is a perfect case. After finally getting our backyard finished we felt happy. Now we fell rather native and ignorant. We find ourselves with a row of shrubs bordered by two holly bushes that should be pruned somewhat formally. Take a look and if you would like to give us a suggestion as to the best shape for these shrubs we would be appreciative.

 

[Becky]

I guess it depends on the kind of look you are after and how much work you want to put in - I think they look nice as they are, but if you want a more formal look then you could prune them into balls and it would look lovely. However if you went for the latter option they would need regular pruning.

 

[Big Lou]

Cathy absolutely does not want them to be cut straight across (flat top). We are striving to find a nice net alternative. Balls are attractive but will require too much labor. Thank you Becky.

 

[marlingardener]

Don't you just love landscapers? They ought to be called landscalpers.
About those shrubs, I'd go in, cut the longest stems to bring the height down a bit and control the outward growth, and let them do their thing. Cutting the longest would open up the shrubs a bit and keep them from looking pruned, kind of like a three-year-old boy with his first haircut!
Of course, I'm a fan of natural looking gardens rather than regimented ones.

 

[Big Lou]

Please explain in more detail - "Cutting the longest would open up the shrubs a bit and keep them from looking pruned."

Thanks

 

[marlingardener]

On any shrub, there are growth canes that are long and don't branch a lot. Then there are the bushy canes that have side shoots. By cutting the long, non-bushy canes, you can open the shrubs up a bit--which means letting air circulate, which prevents mildew. When you prune some branches, the shrub maintains its natural shape, but doesn't get out of control. The good is that if you make a "mis-cut" the shrub will recover. The bad is if the shrub is pruned into an unnatural shape, pruning will become a frequent task, and the center of the shrub can become leafless.

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-4.pdf is a site with diagrams and reasons for pruning in certain ways.

I hope this helps!

 

[Big Lou]

Thank you so much! I'm sure the information will be helpful.

 

[Logan L. Johnson]

I already gave you advice on gardenweb. Those shrubs are used for formal landscaping only. The natural look is undesirable.

 

[Big Lou]

A person is not restricted to one forum only. Your advice is appreciated.

 

[Big Lou]

Here are the two un-perfect forms we prefer. Comments please.

 

[marlingardener]

The second form, which allows more light into the shrub at the bottom. If the bottom of the shrub gets light and air, it won't die out at the bottom, giving you a green top and dead bottom. I still think you ought to let the shrubs take their natural form. even if that is "undesirable".

 

[Big Lou]

marlingardener, just so I absolutely understand are you proposing that we cut nothing off the shrubs or holly bushes? Have you seen this done before? Can you share end result photos? If doing such results in a unique good look we may give it a try. Really looking forward to your reply. Thanks