Garth Ruffner Landscape Architect
Most commercially maintained vegetation in our area is pruned excessively. Except for hedges, the goal should generally be healthy, natural looking plants.
Planting design with more than one species is usually intended to include multiple heights, that step back from the viewer like a retail display. Good pruning subtly enhances this effect while poor pruning eliminates it.
Plants with a native character are at their best with very little pruning and no shearing.
Allowing plants to fully cover a planter shades out weeds, minimizes damage from foot traffic and reduces water use.
Regular, light pruning to keep foliage off pavement is far more effective than sporadic assaults.
Shearing wastes hours of maintenance and does long term damage. Most plants respond to shearing with rapid, awkwardly sprouting growth, which must then be cut back, causing more rampant growth. Dead twigs build up that prevent the plant from being pruned back to it’s previous size, resulting in a larger size than properly pruned plants.
Plants with blades or strap-like leaves (such as: Agapanthus, Flax, Fortnight Lilies and Ornamental Grasses) should never (ever) be pruned into topiary shapes. If such a plant is damaged and/or new growth must be encouraged, it should be cut flat 2-4 inches above the ground.
Mutilated Deer Grass “Topiary”
Monitoring Pruning Operations
