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Section: Home & Garden
Pruning Your Conifers
By Jim Hilton
If somebody asked if you have any conifers in your garden, how would you answer them? Chances are pretty good you have a few. The Latin definition of conifer means, “to bear cones” but there are always exceptions in the plant world. Conifers are mostly evergreen trees or shrubs with linear, needle like or scale like leaves. Here are those exceptions, Larches and Cypresses drop their leaves in the fall, and junipers and yews have berry-like fruit and not cones.
The biggest challenge with these evergreens once they have acclimated to the light intensity and soil type is pruning. The normal growth pattern of your evergreen is a large part of its charm. When its charm gets out of hand by growing too large for its assigned space, chances are proper pruning practices were not maintained. In most cases, complete removal of the specimen is the best solution. Most evergreens cannot tolerant severe pruning, which would most definitely destroy the actual look and charm of the evergreen.
The easiest to prune are the yews and hemlocks. They have abundant buds on both old and new wood. Lateral branching should occur even with heavy shearing. They make a great choice for hedges or a visible screen. One tip is to prune before new spring growth emerges. The pruning cuts will be covered with new growth fairly rapidly so your “just sheared look” can be minimized.
Next are the firs, cedars and spruces. These evergreens have easily identifiable buds along the current season’s growth and sometimes on the main stem of the previous year’s growth. Size can be controlled at anytime by pruning back just above a bud. For a more formal shape, they can be pruned or sheared when the current season’s growth is soft.
Pines lack buds along the main stems. The active buds are only at the tip of the current season’s growth. Most of us have a mugo pine among our evergreens. In the spring, the soft growing tips look like candles. New lateral buds will be formed only when these candles are pinched off. Mugo pines are normally pruned yearly with about half of the new soft green color candle being cleanly cut off. Typically, the first part of July is the optimum time to prune. Pruning older woody stems does not improve the form of loose-growing specimens. This is because lateral branching will not take place. You will have to wait till next spring and be content with the pine's current size. With yearly pruning, the current shape and height should be able to be maintained.
Finally, upright juniper forms, arborvitaes and the false cypresses (one more time for Latin, the Chamaecyparis genus) can be a challenge to prune. Buds are present only where there are green leaves. Thus, cutting the brown inner part results in an unsightly scar which could take years to recover. The brown interior of these plants indicates that these evergreens are intolerant of heavy shade. The overall light intensity will dictate how many interior leaves will be green - the more the better. If you have to shear, do it in the spring when they are actively growing. Always keep a shield of green foliage around these favorite evergreens.
Remember, a thorough watering in late fall will reduce any potential drying out of the fine foliage. A generous covering of wood mulch around the entire base for those freeze/thaw periods and a burlap wrap will also work wonders from the drying effect of winter sun and wind. Sharpen your favorite pruners and mark your calendar. You are now in control of your conifers.
Jim Hilton is a local Landscape Designer. (jkhilton@adelphia.net).
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