Give Your Ornamental Trees and Shrubs Some TLC
With winter quickly approaching, now is the best time to start thinking about pruning your beloved trees and shrubs as most of them head into dormancy this time of year. Proper pruning and maintenance of your ornamental trees and shrubs also keeps them healthy and looking great. The Atkins Grounds Maintenance Team uses the best pruning and tree trimming techniques to keep your landscape in good health while making sure things don’t get out of control.
We recommend tree pruning and tree shaping over the winter months and early spring for most plants in this area. Some that flower early spring need to be pruned later. We can help you determine what plants need pruning and when.
There are several reasons to prune your trees and shrubs. Here are a few important ones:
- Safety first: Overgrown, “leggy” plants can be unsightly and also can create safety concerns around your house, office and walkways.
- Removal of dead materials: Cutting out dead stems, whether from disease, insect or other reasons, is a good routine to do each season.
- Increase new growth: If trying to encourage new growth, pruning helps stimulate that.
- Slow down growth : If you are trying to slow growth down, proper pruning can help.
- Improve overall plant health: Opening up the canopy of your landscape trees allows for more air movement, which can reduce disease issues.
- Pruning: This can manage weak branching and to keep a tree or shrub from growing in a direction you don’t want (towards your house, roof, gutters, etc.). Regular pruning can also increase the lifespan of your landscape plants.
- Aesthetics: Typically, a properly pruned and shaped plant is more appealing than one that has not been trimmed. Remember: pruning doesn’t necessarily mean that you are turning all of your plants into perfect round balls of leaves. You can prune to manage and encourage the display of a plant’s natural shape and growth habit.
What are some of the most common ornamental trees and shrubs in Mid-Missouri?
There is a tremendous variety of landscape plants used in the area, but some of the more common ornamental trees and shrubs in Mid-Missouri are:
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Boxwood bushes -
Dogwood -
Magnolia
- Crabapple
- Cherry
- Juniper
- Boxwood
- Spirea and more!
Don’t forget — your ornamental grasses need cutting back every winter, too, to keep them from thinning out.
We believe your trees and shrubs only deserve the best. Don’t put them in harm’s way by trying to DIY your way through pruning. All of our pruning is done with your landscape’s best interest in mind.
