I absolutely love residential work without lawn care! Yes, I said it. As a landscape professional I do a lot of lawn care work but sometimes it’s nice to just prune and clean-up.
Buxus
The main part of the job was a front entrance boxwood hedge. I didn’t get to it in spring so I left it for early September. Why? Because I’ve been to seminars where summer pruning of boxwoods was discouraged.
Also, note that my pruning wasn’t very harsh. Because the hedge didn’t get hammered, it still looks good. Sometimes harsh boxwood pruning leads to brown or white foliage because sunlight can now penetrate into the hedge. And it looks awful. So I’ve been pruning it lightly maybe twice a year and so far it’s been fine.
Laurels
The other issue was in the back: overgrown laurels (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken‘). I knew about it and finally got around to it.
Here’s a hint. Since the power shears shred the woody stems during pruning, it’s important to fix them with hand snips. Simply prune off the shredded tips so the cut is “hidden” inside the hedge. If you don’t clean-up the shredded cuts, it will look unfinished.
Clean-up
Clean-ups are critical for pruning success. Regular readers of this blog will already know that I preach this often. The clean-up should be as good as the pruning because the whole presentation matters.
The rocks complicated the clean-up work somewhat. I put down tarps and blew everything off the rocks at the end.
Caution
Note the yucca plants on both sides of the laurel. Before you begin clean-ups, put safety goggles on because the sharp spikes will take your eyes out. So be careful around yucca plants and train your helpers.
And speaking of eyes, I get to work at this residence because my client has issues with his eyes. He could lose his eye-sight by lifting one heavy object. So protect your eyes and count your blessings.
Residential pruning can be quite rewarding when the finished look makes the residence look clean and healthy.
