On 01/09/2014 16:41, Spider wrote:
On 31/08/2014 22:37, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 19:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 31/08/2014 00:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message

Cotoneaster.

Gosh thanks! It is just string but I will take it all off
immediately
and keep a good eye on my dog!

Just to assure you, I took it off immediately I had stopped posting



Good. I've seen some perfectly good trees wrecked by that kind of
restriction. You may find it worth while to check all your tree and
shrub ties, to make sure they're not biting in. I check mine a couple
of times a year and even nudge my neighbours if I see a biting tree
tie. It's usually well received.

The only things I tie up are my climbers. Roses, clematis, honeysuckle
and a broad leaf ivy. I can't remember its name



Could the ivy be Hedera colchica, or a cultivar of same?

I don't know but I will take a photo for you. It has a large leaf, not
at all like the smaller leaved ones I have in other places.


Incidentally, it's quite possible to strangle roses with ties unless
you're checking/pruning them regularly. They can grow quite quickly,
especially when you're absent for a while ...

Oh dear! These have not been pruned for a very long time. To be honest
I think it has strangled itself. The bulk of it I have tied to a
trellis under a window. When I came back I never pruned it, I just
tied them in and have trained it across to go up and over the arch.


Right. Just as well I mentioned it then! It's a lovely plant, whether
grown horizontally or vertically and, although deciduous, I love both
the autumn colour and the winter framework. Just make sure that when
you prune it, you are sympathetic to that herringbone framework.
I haven't asked if you have a grasp of formative pruning?

No Not only do I not have a grasp, I've never heard of it. I am
hoping the book (when it arrives) will explain that?


It's a posh
name for pruning to (below) the bud you want the next growth to sprout
from.

Right! I do that with other stuff I have cut back. Heh I know how to
do it, I just don't know the name of it)



Great! That makes proceedings much easier.

Phew I got something right!!!!! g


Of course you did :~). You know more than you think you do, I'm sure.



You probably already do it with your roses, but you need to
understand it to shape your trees and shrubs properly.

Right! My roses are climbers and I am leaving them to do their thing
along with some other climbers, over an arch recently erected)


If recently erected, and the roses et al, recently pruned to their
situation, then all is probably well there. Some future pruning will
be inevitable, though. You will have The Book by then ... and URG,
just in case :~).

Oh Yes, thank goodness. You are a godsend) Will this book cover such
things as the climbing roses too?



Oh, indeed it does! It covers all aspects of pruning and training
roses, so you'll have a fair bit of reading to do.


I haven't pruned them at all since I
have been back. They were all over the place but I just tied them
into the rest so I would have something to train over the arch. I have
to say there is quite a thicket. They have honeysuckle growing through
them too. Hmm I don't remember planting that At least now I will
be coming up fairly regularly so it won't be left to its own devices for
several years again and the work I do now with pay off for the future.
Taming this garden is a full time job g


But you're loving every minute of it, I bet :~). Hope you've left
enough time to plant some bulbs for spring;~).



Yes, (in fact, it's probably on that Apple Scab link). You need
Bayer's Garden Systhane Fungus Fighter, the active ingredient of which
is Myclobutanil. There may be other brands on the garden centre
shelves, allowing you to compare prices. You also need to know that
Apple Scab can infect Cotoneaster, among others

Noted thank you! Can I get that any any garden centre?


You ought to be able to. Try your local gc first. Sometimes it's
worth checking Wilkinsons or the 'pound' shops first.

Thanks, will do) Incidentally, I have seen 'growmore' in the pound
shops. Will that be the same stuff I see in garden centres?


It certainly should be, or it shouldn't carry the name. Have a look on
line so you know what n-p-k proper Growmore has, and compare
prices/sizes before you check out the local cheapie.


Yikes! Most important! Before you remove any significant branches
off anything, you will need to know about 'undercutting'. This is the
technique that stops bark tearing on the underside of the branch as
you finish your cut. I'll cover that next time. Ta ra for now.

Oh heck! You don't feel like a holiday in Scotland by any chance
???? ;-)

Dinna panic, lassie, as they say up't there! :~)))

lol they do indeed)


It's all very straight forward. I will try and find a link tomorrow
to make it easier, but it's really basic common sense, truly. You
will have no trouble grasping it. You don't even have to be expert;
even just understanding it helps keep you from making mistakes.

) You are most kind))


I hope you are feeling better now. I will await your next foray
into my
err busy garden))

Lucky O



Thank you, I am feeling a little better. I wake up most morning with
head pain and sometimes neuralgia/neuropathy, so I have to be used to
coping with it. Many people have worse things to worry about, so most
days I just try and get on with it. I'm just a creaky gate .. maybe I
should get a prescription for WD40!:~).

WD40 eh? LOL. Weell, whitever floats yur wee boat, hen )))) I used
to get migraine when I was much younger. So I have a bit of an idea
what you are suffering but certainly not the neuralgia/neuropathy



I am looking forward to my next foray into your garden. Quite an
adventure and remarkably good for my brain. Thank you.

Noooo thank YOU!!! You are welcome into my garden any old time you
fancy ) In fact I welcome you with open arms !!!

Ophelia


Thank you, Ophelia:~). That's truly nice of you.

Now it's time to discuss the 'undercut', so that you don't tear the bark
as your pruning cut reaches the lower side of the branch and the weight
of the part-severed branch suddenly accelerates the fall and rips the
bark as the limb descends.

Once you've identified the branch you're going to cut and, especially if
it's a long/heavy branch, it will help to follow David's advice and make
at least one cut through the length of the branch to lighten the load.
(With a mature forest tree, a tree surgeon may make several cuts before
he nears the trunk and prepares to sever the branch where it joins).
David cited 12" to 18" for the sort of work you will be doing, and
that's fine.

http://www.wikihow.com/Cut-a-Limb-from-a-Tree

So if you received that link, you should now understand how to make a
partial cut under the unwanted branch close to the site where you intend
to make your downward cut. When I'm pruning tree branches here, I
confess I try and get the undercut as close as I can to the intended
downcut, so there is no step as shown in the link. If I get it right,
then I just need to neaten up the cut with secateurs so there are no
snags. However, until you're confident that you're getting it right,
leave enough room before the 'collar' to make a second and final clean
cut with a minimal undercut as shown.

Thank goodness for the link! That's not easy to explain, but I hope
I've managed to get it over all right. You may not need to do a lot of
that heavy duty pruning, but it's important to know how to do it
correctly. Once you know it, it's just common sense followed by practice.

Right, I'm now starting to get a bit woolly-brained; I'm not sure if
I've missed a plant or a technique. I don't want to leave you high and
dry before The Book turns up, so do let me know if you've still got a
query, if if you need a clearer explanation, and I'll do my best.
Perhaps David, or another pruning geek will pop up if I've missed a
basic technique that would guide you through the pruning maze.

I'll have a quick peek at your last pic links to see if I'm receiving them.

Happy gardening!


My only addition to Spiders advice would be
If you have a lot of heavy pruning to do spread it out over a couple of
years or so.
It's the same as when you have to cut a hedge back really hard the
advice is always cut one side one year and the other the following year.
David