Category: Limbing

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Pruning and Limbing Up Crape Myrle

Lagerstroemia indica by jacilluch

Bernadette asked TheGardenLady when would be the best time to prune her crape myrtle/Lagerstroemia tree.

You can always prune off dead or broken branches at any time of the year on your crape myrtle or any shrub or tree. You can also cut off the dead blossoms after flowering if you don’t like the looks of them- the ones you can reach, that is.( sometimes this will force the crape myrtle to send out more flowers) If you don’t mind leaving the blossom ends, you don’t have to even cut those lower blossom ends. Some people think they have winter interest and birds like  to eat the seeds in the winter. Of course, you don’t have to bother with the blossom ends you cannot reach at the top of the plant because nature will dispose of them.

The crape myrtle does not need much pruning if you like the shape it is in. It is the kind of shrub I like, the lazy man’s shrub.

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Deodar Cedar Issues – Part I

TheGardenLady received this question from Katherine.

We have a 1911 Craftsman home in Hollywood with a giant deodar cedar in the front yard (photos above). I’ve tried planting salvia, heather, dahlias, azaleas, camellias, succulents, annuals, etc. and nothing really thrives or looks right. Someone suggested ferns, but I can’t see this front yard full of ferns. Do you have any suggestions? The problem is the needles. They blanket the ground year round. We’ve also tried grass, and it looked very patchy. This year, I planted some cyclamen and threw some wildflower seeds in frustration. The cosmos are actually sprouting. There is dappled light. The camellia seems to be the happiest, but it is away from the base of the tree. My gardener once tried impatiens, but I did not like the look of the ring of flowers by the base of the trunk.  I’ve looked for photos, etc, and nothing seems to work under these gigantic, and I mean GIGANTIC, trees. Help!

Having a big evergreen growing in one’s yard creates a difficult planting situation for anyone, that is why you do not see photos of plants growing under them. Plants like to grow in an area that provides its needs, which the huge evergreen tree may be using. This GardenLady may not be any more helpful for what you are wishing for than anyone else. Let me explain why.

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Creative Gardening to Deal with Problems – Part II

Curbside flower bed by anarchitect

In the last post, TheGardenLady talked about creative ways of dealing with problems when gardening.  TheGardenLady mentioned “limbing up” of the trees on your property.  This means to cut the lower branches of your trees to see if enough light will now get to your plants.  If limbing up doesn’t work, find out if planting that strip is legal where you live. Some areas have outdoor restrictions.

If you are allowed to plant on the strip, the most important thing to do before planting on the strip or even on your front lawn is to utilize Safe Excavation Practices. Each state has a place where you can phone to know what is below where you are digging. This is your state’s Underground Damage Prevention Program. Most states have an 811 number. It is the law. Call them before you do any digging to be safe. Most flowering plants are fairly shallow-rooted, so there should be no problem. Still you cannot assume that underground facilities are at a certain depth.

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Creative Gardening to Deal with Problems – Part I

Creative Garden landscape Car by epSos.de

ThisGardenLady grew up on a farm where there were always flowers. Though my mother did not have a nursery, she raised so many flowers that she did sell bouquets of flowers in the summer months.

So when I bought the property where I now live, I wanted large colorful flowers. But I couldn’t find a good place to plant them on this property because the original owner had planted sycamore trees- two in the front yard and three on the side of the yard. And in the back yard along the stream the property looks more like an old forest type of land. It is very pretty to look at and the trees keep the property cool during the heat of the summer. But this kind of property is not the kind that big flowers like. It is not the kind of environment for roses, for example.

Very few people find a property that has it all- a perfect place for a flower garden and a perfect place for a vegetable garden, etc. We all have to compromise or make do in the most creative way we can.

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