"Thymely" Advice...Winter Pruning

  

 

Now that we are approaching the later part of winter, it’s time to think about doing pruning projects before spring gets here. It’s easier to see what you are doing when there aren’t a lot of leaves in the way, so take advantage of a nice afternoon and get some work done!

Here are a few tips to help you out.

• As a general rule, try not to prune early spring flowering shrubs until after they have bloomed this spring. Shrubs that bloom early have dormant flower buds already formed on the overwintering branches. Pruning now removes the flowers you want to be enjoying in the months to come. On the other hand, if your shrub doesn’t bloom until summer, or doesn’t really have showy flowers to begin with go ahead and prune it now. This year’s flowers will form on the new growth that emerges.
• Remove broken, diseased or damaged branches first, then prune branches out to help direct growth, control size as needed.
• Learn where and how to make a proper pruning cut and always use sharp pruning tools that will do the job properly. Hand pruners and loppers are for smaller twigs and branches and pruning saws are for larger branches.
• Never use pruning paints or sealers. These products were once thought to help protect trees when large cuts had to be made. We now know that these products are cosmetic at best and in many cases, they actually slow down the healing process and increase the likelihood of rot and decay setting into exposed branch tissues. Just learn how to make proper cuts and let your tree do the rest.
• Unless you really want your plants getting big, most shrub roses will benefit from a hard pruning each spring. In most cases it’s safe to remove around 2/3’s of the old top growth. Then thin and the remaining branches as needed.
• Most clematis should be pruned to about 12-18” tall each spring. Do this before the new growth starts and remove all of the pruned off branches from your trellis.

We have lots of great pruning tools at Skinner’s. If you need help figuring out what you need or what style or type of pruner or saw would be best for you, just come on out and we’ll give you some recommendations. 

Shop with us for your last minute Christmas gifts!

We just received another shipment of poinsettias to go along with the rosemary and lavender trees. These plants are nice to decorate with, and they make unique gifting items. We also have a few Norfolk Island Pines that are fun to decorate for the holidays and then can be enjoyed in the house the rest of the year. Take them to your Christmas parties!

Our gift department has some new thermometers and outdoor clocks. We also just got in some new solar stakes and a few decorative pieces for the outdoor areas. We have new birdhouses, new hanging décor and a new rain chain option! Our Kinetic spinners are very colorful, unique and intriguing yard art. The art poles, flags, mail wraps and mats make great gifts and are wonderful decorative pieces around your own home during the holidays. We've had lots of questions about the art poles here in the store. Be the first one in your neighborhood with the new trend, or give them as gifts to family and friends!  

We continue to stock a great selection of rain gauges, tools and chimes to gift and have added a new bamboo chime to the mix. They can remind you of warm weather, and sandy beaches, during the cold months of winter.  The indoor gardening items like the heat mats, germination stations, the new thermostats and grow lights also make great gifts for winter activities for gardeners.

Seed packets, trinkets and tools are fun stocking stuffers and why not drop a few paperwhites in the stocking too to grow inside this winter!  We've even got kid's covered with their own tool line. Get them set up to help you work outside this coming year.

To top off all the new items in the store, we also have winter containers you might consider gifting. Check out the hanging baskets at our front door and the drop-in pots you could surprise your relatives with for the holidays. Now that is definitely the cool and unexpected gift!

If you're still not sure what to gift this holiday season, or to stuff in the stocking, give everybody Skinner gift cards! You can purchase them in any amount and they have no expiration dates attached to them, so people don't have to use them all at once.  How wonderful is that?! It just might  be the best gift at the Christmas exchange this year. Santa definitely approves!

It's an exciting time of year around the store, and we sure have a lot of neat presents for the gardener's on your Christmas lists. Come shop at Skinner's for your last minute gifts.