Pruning Houseplants: Cut by Habit, Root the Pieces
A leggy vine with bare stems and one sad leaf at the tip is not a lost cause, it is a pruning problem with an easy fix. The trick…
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Pruning Spanish Lavender for a Second and Third Flush
Spanish lavender is the rebloomer of the family. It opens its pineapple-and-ears flowers earlier than any other lavender, and if you…
Pruning Timing Is a Growth Decision, Not a Calendar
Most pruning advice arrives as a calendar, which works until you own a plant that is not on the list. The rules are all downstream of…
Purple Flowers Give Garden Beds More Depth Than Blue
Purple is the color most gardeners end up with when they went shopping for blue. That is not a compromise, it is chemistry, and…
Red Flowers Are Aimed at Birds, Not Bees
Red is the one flower color with a documented audience. Hummingbirds see the red end of the spectrum clearly and bees very nearly do…
Restoring an Overgrown Crepe Myrtle With Selective Pruning
Bad pruning shows up fast on crepe myrtle. Knobby stubs, skinny shoots, and weak branches that split in storms are all signs someone…
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