[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Hello one and all, I'm looking for advice from people with better greenfingeredness than myself.

You will see from the pics below that our new house has a lovely verandah across the front. This is the side of the house that gets all the sun and there are big ranch slider doors across most of the downstairs on this side.

As you can see, we also have a (mostly) lovely established set of tress/bushes in the garden in front of the verandah.

The problem being, these plants have been left to 'shoot for the stars' in the last 12 to 18 months and are encroaching on the verandah as well as gaining sufficient height to be an issue blocking winter time sun from getting into the house to provide some warmth.

So, the question(s)

1. Is now (May) the right time to start trimming and pruning these sorts of plants (no idea what any of them are called).

2. Can anyone point me at a site that might assist me in the best way to attack the kinds of plants we have. i.e. I don't want to just hack them away, I want to trim, prune and shape so they still look good and will continue to be healthy plants.

Ideally I'd like to remove the conifer type trees and replace with something with a nicer leaf, but that will eb a future project, so trimming these back to look sensible at about 1/2 to 2/3rds their current size is plan A.

all advice much apprciated.

View across verandah
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee137/BaldyBeardyBloke/2008-05%20House%20Front%20Plants/DSCF1708.jpg

View across planting
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee137/BaldyBeardyBloke/2008-05%20House%20Front%20Plants/DSCF1710.jpg

View from roadside
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee137/BaldyBeardyBloke/2008-05%20House%20Front%20Plants/DSCF1712.jpg

View from driveway
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee137/BaldyBeardyBloke/2008-05%20House%20Front%20Plants/DSCF1714.jpg

[katandbob]

they all look evergreen (well it is winter and they still have leaves!) so if you selectively prune off branches without causing them to look lopsided or bald then go ahead and start trimming them back.
Don't forget if you prune back the conifer to bare wood it will not grow back - but as long as you just prune to Green you will be ok.

I have a pruning folder at home - as I have just started a Pruning course, but I am still in the UK so I can't give more than that.

sorry - oh heres a link to a site that may help - http://www.gardens.co.nz/Articles.cfm?NLID=127

happy gardening

Kat

[StevieD]

Sam - you forgot to ask what these plant where that you had been growing round the back!!! :laugh:laugh:laugh

[willsken]

they all look evergreen (well it is winter and they still have leaves!) so if you selectively prune off branches without causing them to look lopsided or bald then go ahead and start trimming them back.
Don't forget if you prune back the conifer to bare wood it will not grow back - but as long as you just prune to Green you will be ok.

I have a pruning folder at home - as I have just started a Pruning course, but I am still in the UK so I can't give more than that.

sorry - oh heres a link to a site that may help - http://www.gardens.co.nz/Articles.cfm?NLID=127

happy gardening

Kat

I'm lost. I thought you were on the SI and have been for ages! :confused::confused::confused:

[katandbob]

I'm lost. I thought you were on the SI and have been for ages! confusedconfusedconfused:
:laugh
im on holiday (well if you would call visiting immingham a holiday!) visiting the rellies - counting down to the return journey now...36hrs & counting;)

Kat

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

they all look evergreen (well it is winter and they still have leaves!) so if you selectively prune off branches without causing them to look lopsided or bald then go ahead and start trimming them back.
Don't forget if you prune back the conifer to bare wood it will not grow back - but as long as you just prune to Green you will be ok.

I have a pruning folder at home - as I have just started a Pruning course, but I am still in the UK so I can't give more than that.

sorry - oh heres a link to a site that may help - http://www.gardens.co.nz/Articles.cfm?NLID=127

happy gardening

Kat

Cool, Cheers Kat.

I had kind of come to that conclusion myself, but a little nervous to start hacking away at my first real garden of any size!

Have pruned/trimmed many a standard hedge before, just double checking before I start on 'proper' plants.

Steve, I know exactly what to do with those 'other' plants. Spent many a happy time studying those at close quarters and utilising in various formats. Purely for medicinal purposes you understand :uhoh

[Moorf]

We're doing our annual "slash and burn" at the moment :) and, if I were you, I'd square off all those shrubs off to the level of the bannister of your deck and keep them trimmed throughout the year to the shape you want. That's all we've ever done and it works! Be brutal, you'll be amazed how much weight they put back on... if the get too dense (and mice love dense shrubs :roll) whip out the older thicker branches to thin it out.

P.S - Not sure about that tree looking shrub on far right - is that a protea (big flowers?) - if so, not sure about whether that should be hacked back or not!!

[kowhai]

I too wonder whether hiring some hedge clippers and knocking the whole lot back would be a good idea - its certainly tempting ! The problem is you may well have some frost tender plants in amongst some of the tougher varieties.

It looks like the plants have been planted far too closely together. The conifers are really running riot. All that foliage is a concern being so densely packed up against the verandah.

I can see a native pittosporum ( tough as boots ) in the last photo with small leaves.
I think that really large shrub is a protea too. Great for cut flowers - but probably frost tender. The tall sparesly leafed tree could be a frangipanni - these can grow very tall. You could take a few leaves off different plants and have them identified at your local nursery.

I would really love to get stuck into your garden! It looks like a lovely home you've got there. Have fun!

[zardell]

Personally, I would be tempted to remove the conifers completely, They are usually quite shallow rooted and should be easy to dig out. Replace them in spring with something else.

Then I would hard prune back and shape the bushes with pruners, not hedge clippers so that you will get to keep the bush shape as opposed to a hedge shape - does that make sense? By the time spring arrives, they will be producing new shoots and look really good by summer.

Julie

xx

PS.

I'd also save the 'other plants' for later....LOL!

[Nick88]

I would remove the conifers completely, they don't like being pruned if they have been allowed to run riot their whole lives. Just cut them off at ground level and replant around the roots with things in small pots, that way you don't have to dig big holes. The other thing in the first picture (on the left ) is Pseudopanax, a native, it will tolerate pruning if not done too hard. Down to the level of the banisters will be fine, then it's just an annual haircut to keep it there, however it is quite vigourous so it will try and fill that space every year. It might be worth considering replacing it with something smaller one day, but give it a few years yet.

The Proteaceous plant is Liriodendron, a close relative of the Protea, the flowers are much more inconspicuous, they are grown for the foliage. These will tolerate pruning, but don't overdo it. To be on the safe side either just cut it back to stems that still have leaves on them, or cut back only some of the stems and let them shoot away before cutting back the remainders.