"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-04-01 21:39:44 +0100, "Bill Grey" said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-04-01 12:48:11 +0100, Chris J Dixon said:

I'm glad you said "once the need was established" btw because very often
people seem to want to know when to start hard pruning on some poor
little
plant about 2' tall if that! That is not a reflection on Bill, btw.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon


Hi Sacha,

My Photinia was planted year before last, and is a little higher that 2
ft
(but not much), but there you go I'm a useless gardener anyway. I'll
have a
go and if it works great, if not try again.

Bill in the Swansea Valley.

LOL! You're not a useless gardener, you're a learning gardener, by the
sound of it! And there isn't one person here who hasn't been one of
those!
I think a lot of new gardeners think of the "prune it and it gets bushier"
stuff. Some of that is true but of course, there are parameters with all
these things. In your shoes, I'd let your baby plant put on some new
growth and get to where it's convenient to you and *then* worry about
controlling it. There is no such thing as a 'useless gardener', there
are only people who haven't done much gardening - yet. If it's of any
help to you, when our customers are swithering about whether to buy a
plant or not, I do sometimes remind them that most shrubs last a great
many years and cost a lot less than a bunch of cut flowers. If your plant
dies - and I don't think it will - it will cost less than a bouquet to
replace it! Just let it be for a while and worry about it when it elbows
other plants out of the way or starts to look a bit boring. I'm useless
at estimating heights but that old variety one we have in our garden and
which I showed in a photo earlier must be around 20' tall or more. None
of us gets up there and trims that one, I promise you!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon


Thanks Sacha for your sympathetic advice.

Bill