This post is in answer to Rose’s question regarding when to prune her foundation shrubs.  Evergreen shrubs do not require a lot of heavy pruning,  but generally you should prune in early spring before the new growth has emerged.  There are some exceptions, one being if you’re trying to create a hedge, then the new growth is the part you need to prune as it will allow you to shape more effectively.  Another exception is if it is a flowering evergreen (Azalea, Rhododendron, ect…) for these you should prune immediately after they are finished blooming, otherwise you’ll impair the following years bloom.  

 

Often folks find themselves in a situation where they have overgrown and sometimes poorly maintained foundation shrubs, probably from when the house was originally built.  These may be overcrowding the space by covering windows, hanging over walkways, and looking pretty darn bad.  My first recommendation would usually be to replace them.  Plants , especially along the foundation of a house, do have a lifespan.  Even with proper maintanance and trimming, they often need to be replaced after 15 years or so.  Another problem I often run into is that the wrong plants were originally chosen, and they have grown way too large for the space they were intended.  

Well not everyone has the time, desire, or money to start ripping their yard apart, so if starting over is not an option, then some of these shrubs can handle very heavy pruning (called rejuvenation pruning)–but it may take a few years for them to look good and healthy again.  I would research the particular plant and how/when to prune it, or hire a professional. 

now for the ‘how’

Something that i see all the time, which makes me cringe, 

 

 

 

 

 

 (if you have shrubs in our yard that look like this, please do us all a favor and rip them out!)

 

These are shrubs that are given a yearly ‘buzz cut’ with hedge shears. You may have inherited a shrub that has been improperly pruned in this way.  This actually will cause more harm than good to the plant, and it will need some extra tlc to get it back to a good form.  When pruned that way, the plant becomes very dense and tight, keeping air from circulating around inside the plant, causing the leaves inside to fall off, and branches to die.   This also creates a very unattractive framework of tight little twigs sprouting off of several branches, rather than an open and delicate form.  To remedy this first remove the branches that have those tight little balls of twigs.  Then open up the framework of the plant to allow light and air in.  Do this by going in and thinning the shrub, removing excess branches and creating holes around the shrub so that daylight can get through.  This is actually the proper method of pruning in general.  Don’t clip from the top, go into the plant and remove branches, thinning and bringing down the height more subtly.  For example, if you see a branch that is a little bit taller, instead of cutting it back the the same level as the rest of the plant, follow it down until it meets another branch, or to the base, and cut the whole branch out. 

Also remove any ‘deadwood’, and crossing branches.   

Make sure that all cuts you make are back to a bud, branch, or main trunk.  Don’t leave any little bare stubs as these will increase the chance of disease.  

If all you need to do is reduce the size of the plant, do so by pruning last year’s growth.  

http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/ldg/s03Maintenance/graphics/fig-03-02.gif  has a good diagram on how to do this.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/quickref/shrubs/pruning_broadleaf-evergrn.html  has some more pruning tips.

 

 i love plants!  i can’t get enough of them! when i go for a walk (or sometimes even a drive) often much of what i see and think about are the plants i pass. what is the name? what makes them unique or special? what have they been paired with or how have they been used? why did the homeowner or designer choose that particular plant?  or,  who got a hold of that tree or shrub with the pruners and why??  these are all questions that will run through my mind.  i’m not sure if that’s normal….:)but being a landscape designer i am always looking for new ideas and inspiration, and what can i say..i have plants on the brain….

i thought i would write a (hopefully) regular post with a garden theme, drawing from my knowledge of gardening and landscape design.  like i said, i am constantly walking or driving by gardens, and getting inspired by great plant combinations, drooling over flowers and trees, and sometimes wondering at the choices people make in their garden.  i am also often getting hit up for gardening advice, so i thought this would be a good outlet to share cool things i see or learn, and also give helpful advice and tips on proper garden/plant care.

i welcome any particular questions, and if I know (or can find out) the answer, could make that the topic of the next gardening post.

so with that…  the tree pictured at the top of this post is one of my favorite spring blooming trees, and it’s blooming right now!  it’s botanical name is cercis canadensis, and is commonly called eastern redbud.  it is an understory tree, which means that it grows along the edge of a woodland, beneath the larger trees of the forest, much like a dogwood.  it starts blooming a week or so before the dogwoods, and then they overlap and you will often see them side by side in bloom.  for me they are one of the first indicators that spring is truly here.  With its bright magenta/purple bloom, i can think of no other color quite like it in the garden.  often you will see it planted along highways–although the bloom is shortlived, what a thoughtful way to brighten a tired commuters day! 

 he’s 5 months, and has such a little personality! reading dad’s story in the paper:) 

jeth puked on jon’s face right after this picture was taken!

don’t worry - jeth loves you mimi lulu susu

sup?

 UPDATE - 1/30/08: The questions Driscoll is taking are related to his sermons, or at least they’re right after his sermons and are supposed to be related. Here is the page where you can download the latest ones.

_______________

About a month ago, I was sitting in my pew at Grace DC, in the beautiful sanctuary where our church meets, listening to a solid sermon by Rev. Duke Kwon. I enjoyed the sermon, but while I was listening several questions came into my mind that I wanted to clarify.

And I thought, “How cool would that be if we could ask questions after the sermon and have them answered by the pastor right away?”

Not only did I think that was a cool idea, but it occurred to me that this is exactly the kind of liberalism that Christians should be embracing: not theological openness or flexibility–the truth is the same forever. But on questions of method and church practice, liberalism is a good thing, and this kind of practice would be a great way to engage the younger generation, which is used to engagement, dialogue, and inclusion, in large part because of the way the internet has revolutionized communication.

I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but it turns out that Mark Driscoll’s church in Seattle, Washington, Mars Hill, is already doing this. I have just downloaded a few of these sessions and have yet to listen, but from the web description it appears that the audience is text messaging questions from their cell phones to a number given out by the church–I guess then that a church-designated elder or pastor screens the questions and passes them on to Pastor Mark onstage.

The only difference between what I was thinking and what Driscoll is doing is that it doesn’t sound like he’s giving a sermon and then having people ask questions. It’s more like an open forum. But I’ll have to listen to a few sessions and update this post.

My hubby has been gone for 10 days travelling the world with W. (I’m allowed to brag on him;) I am so excited that his job is giving him such awesome opportunities,  (even though I’m jealous)  but I’ve missed him terribly. 

He gets home tonight and I’m jumping up and down. 

It’s been really hard trying to stunt Jeth’s growth and development these past two weeks… but I didn’t want Jon to miss a thing.  When Jeth threatened to roll over for the first time, I promptly picked him up and cradled him like a newborn.  He even tried to sleep all the way through the night, but I forced myself to wake him night after night so that Jon would be able to experiance that milestone with him….

We love and miss you!!!!  Hurry

p.s. we missed aunt jenne A LOT too, so glad she is back safe and sound from africa

Jeth is starting to talk!

I couldn’t narrow these lists down to 10 and 5 like I wanted to, so I allowed both lists to be a little bloated. So here are the movies Ali and I watched this year that I really liked, and the ones you should watch out for and never ever rent (or even watch if offered for free on an airplane or bus).

By the way, these are listed in order or bestness or worstness.

Best
1. Children of Men
2. Broadcast News (1987)
3. The Prestige (2006)
4. The Painted Veil (2006)
5. Combat Diary – The Marines of Lima Company (2006)
6. Hotel Rwanda (2005)
7. It Happened One Night (1934)
8. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
9. Worldplay (2006)
10. The Darjeeling Limited
11. The Lives of Others
12. Our Brand is Crisis (2005)
13. Pumping Iron (1977)
14. Music and Lyrics
15. Breach
16. The Illusionist (2006)
17. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Worst
1. Mash (1970)
2. The Family Stone (2005)
3. Frankie and Johnny (1991)
4. Being There (1979)
5. A Good Year (2006)
6. Miami Vice (2006)
7. Catch and Release (2006)

1. The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration, by Jack Goldsmith – A former top Justice Department official gives the true inside story on the top-secret debate over how to handle suspected terrorists in captivity and secret surveillance.

2. My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir, by Clarence Thomas – An inspiring and provocative look at one man’s battle to overcome racial stereotypes and a disadvantaged youth to achieve his definition of greatness: coming to his own convictions about right and wrong and standing by them.

3. Keep in Step with the Spirit, by J.I. Packer – Written in 1984, just as the Jesus Movement was dying down, this is a balanced, positive look at how the Holy Spirit operates, and how some aspects of the charismatic movement can be redirected.

4. An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography, by Paul Rusesabagina with Tom Zoellner - The story of Rwandan genocide in 1994 that killed around 800,000 people in less than 3 months, told by the man who inspired the film, “Hotel Rwanda.” A truly amazing book.

5. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, by Lawrence Wright - A fascinating look at how Al Qaeda came to be, and how badly the CIA screwed up in the years prior to 9/11, all because they were too arrogant to share information. Mostly it’s a look at how the moving parts and political and social winds blew to bring bin Laden and Zawahiri together, and how badly the U.S. underestimated the terrorism threat prior to the attacks.

6. We the Living, by Ayn Rand – Everybody talks about “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged,” but Rand’s first novel, written in 1936, is a much easier and more human read than, at least, “The Fountainhead.” It’s set in communist Russia and is all you need to understand the roots of Rand’s personal philosophy.

7. Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton – A wonderful book that focuses mostly on the way that Christianity reconciles some of the most mysterious paradoxes in life in the person of Jesus Christ. Chesterton makes his way to a point in a circuitous fashion, but it is fascinating to watch him do so. And he is a quote machine.

8. Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush, by Robert Draper – One of the first in depth biographies of the current president by a Texan writer who was granted several long interviews with the president.

9. Prince of Darkness: 50 Years of Reporting in Washington, by Bob Novak – An incredibly detailed, honest and well-documented look back on an amazing career.

10. The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics, by Matt Bai - An exceptionally readable and interesting book, well-reported and well written by a New York Times Magazine journalist. It boils down to essentially one idea: the Democratic party has no ideas. It is about the new “progressives,” who are flaming, often hateful hyper-liberals, overtaking the old school establishment Democrats, but Bai does a great job of showing that the new Democrats have nothing to put in place, ideologically, of a party that is a hulking, rotting corpse.

Something to ponder as we enter the new year.

“The real question for the future is not the need for writers, but for passionate readers who ignore the phone and the TV for a few hours to engage in a book whose difficulty is that it fails to soothe the ego or flatter a limited intelligence; the reader who honestly believes that the best and deepest of what we are is on the shelf, and that to read across the shelf changes the self, changes you.” — David Remnick