On May 7, 6:41*pm, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Tue, 6 May 2008 02:10:52 -0700 (PDT), "Cat(h)"
wrote:

We've had glorious weather this week end, so I have been my usual fair
weather gardener, and have worked like a trojan (if I say so myself,
judging from the scratches all over my arms and legs, and the stiff
limbs) weeding, digging, planting, mowing, clipping, etc.

Question 1 - I have cut right back to its base a tamarisk I planted
two years ago, because its main stem/trunk was leaning almost
horizontally, though all the fresh growth was vertical. *I did this
because it is planted at the edge between an ornamental bed and my veg
patch, and it was encroaching on my veg patch.
Am I right to assume it will grow back - hopefully vertically this
time - or have I done permanent damage?

Tamarisk will tolerate hard pruning, in fact some authorities
recommend it to stop them getting leggy and ragged, and to encourage
flowering. Whether what you've done comes into the category of 'hard
pruning', or 'assassination', time will tell, but you may be lucky,
especially if there was some younger wood left.


I think the category is "murderous pruning"... but I live in hope.
The damage was worth less to me than the disturbance in the cabbage
patch, hence the drastic measure.

Thank you Chris, and thank you to all here for answering all 3 of my
questions. I will do the layering thing with my rosemary, and might
end up with two or three bushes as a result! Brilliant.
As to the fruit trees, it is clearly down to shape. I'm not all that
bothered about increasing my stock of gooseberries, one or two extra
will do me. But I am really partial to blackcurrant, so if I could
get a few more of those, I'd be rightly chuffed!

Thanks again to all!

Cat(h)
--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net